Children of the Great War
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Sure, Black Doom is Shadow's Father, but that begs the question... who's his Mother? In his quest to find her, events of the past and present collide. This epic tale spans the SEGA, Archie and Cartoon Sonic universes rolled into a unique package, enjoy!
1. Reigning Chaos

Author Notes: Sonic, Shadow, Maria, Anyone here belongs to Sega or Archie. I have no idea what possessed me to write this but it is a Sonic Underground/SA2 Crossover with slight Archie/SatAM in it too. Please don't let that deter you and R&R Thank you.

AN 11/15/07: Revised Chapter one and added Chapter 2.

AN 11/22/07: Okay, there's fan characters in there now. So sue me. They're only added in to flesh out the story and have no background or history pertaining to any of my regular fan characters. Now that I think of it, I never have written a fan story around my 'main' character. Chapter 4 coming later today.

AN 11/28/07: Special thanks to Beverly, aka. "Fortune" here on FF net! She's been a big help in both feedback and proofing my story before it comes your way here!

* * *

Footsteps fell on the ground like a thunderous herd. Shots could be heard in the distance, the sound of bullets ripping through their victims, the many screams filling the air. At times it was at a deafening level. A group of figures ran away from the carnage, their kingdom, their home and the bloodshed. 

"You must go, now!" A voice cried out from behind the leader of the runaways. Though she was cloaked, part of her magenta fur shone through as she dare glance back at the Chameleon.

"Espio... Why must we go on!?" She cried in horror. "My Beloved Kingdom... All of South... I should be with my people!"

"I know it seems like we're running away your Majesty, but what choice do we have?" The purple chameleon came to a full halt as a gunshot took a chunk out of a tree just in front of him. It only took his breath away, and for that he was relieved. Instantly his gaze searched for more retaliation. "Your death now would serve no purpose your highness."

The woman stopped to make sure of her companion's safety, crying out his name. Unwilling to let her fall behind, a tall green figure came out from the rear of the group to carry his Queen forward. His command to her was a simple "NO!" as another gunshot whizzed by, this time, knocking the crown off the lady's head.

"You must escape, your majesty!" The Chameleon said, running up to the Overlander, his katana drawn. One Gunshot later, and the chameleon screamed in spite of himself. Still, he would not back down. "You must..." he strained, his blade meeting the metal of the gun, drawn now in defense. "...must escape... for our future Aleena... You must..." He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the blood seeping from the wound which was under much more stress than it should have been.

"Noo..." The woman cried, locked in place by fear and grief. Once more, her green body guard carried her from the fray.

As for her reptilian companion, "How stupid are you?" The human soldier sneered down at the Mobian creature. "...You're bleeding to death. Give up and accept defeat, you'll die easier that way."

"Heh... maybe..." Espio smiled slightly, "But I won't die alone. You see... that's something I swore I would never do." He drew back his katana with his good arm just as the metal rod of the gun slapped him across the face. Immediately, before the overlander could retaliate any further, he thrust the metal blade into the human's gut and with everything he had, gave it a sickening twist. Exhausted and half dead, the first combatant fell to the ground.

"Ian!" Someone shouted, a human. "Damn stupid animal! ...Oh look what they did to you..." he said softly, rolling his friend over. The Chameleon was still alive too... and had a better chance of recovering than his friend. "Bastard!" He clubbed the chameleon on the head, efficiently sending him into never never land...

* * *

"So what is it you've brought me this time?" the old man said, stroking his grayed mustache. He inspected the two capsules. His eyes widened when he looked at the info on the pair. "Where did these come from!?" 

"They were casualties of the great war. Both were frozen cryogenically."

"Casualties? But the liquid they're encased in... is an oxygen based... Don't tell me they're still alive." The scientist said in sheer wonder.

"They are, in a sense. If they were to be thawed, then yes, they would be alive. However, you would do well to just get your samples and go." The GUN officer said in a warning tone before returning to his craft.

Professor Gerald Robotnik sighed and scratched his head. "I really don't know what the world is coming to..."

"Grandpa?" A small voice called.

"Maria... " A smile drew to the old man's lips. "What brings you here my child?" He knelt down and held his arms open for the little girl.

"I heard they were bringing animals here from the planet below!" She smiled and wrapped her arms around her grandfather.

"They did indeed Maria." he smiled affectionately at the girl and set her down. She was a little shaky, and no wonder... The genetic disease she had was affecting her motor skills, but she had a brilliant mind. If he could only find a way to repair the damaged genes there might be hope for his young charge to lead a normal life. All she could talk about was visiting the blue planet.

"Ohhh! I've seen pictures of them... A... A hedgehog... and a chameleon, right?"

"You're very smart." he smiled softly again and sent the girl off to play... while he tended to his new specimens. He took a heavy sigh. "I won't leave you like this, that's entirely too cruel. Somehow... you'll be returned to Mobius below... I promise."

* * *

Time passed... The prototype for the Ultimate Life form had had many failures. The playing around he'd done with the Chameleon's DNA had been breathtaking, but the result... was monstrous. 

"Doctor Gerald, that creature is not safe..." an associate said.

"I know... The military has been asking questions about it and its full potential. I don't dare tell them about '_him'_ though."

"I've heard rumor, that they're going to send GUN up here to investigate your projects Doctor. Creating the Ultimate Life Form? Such risky business."

"I know... but it will all be worth it... if I can give my little girl Maria new life." Gerald said, his eyes shining behind his reflective glasses. "Shadow is far better than I had hoped he would be. While the Prototype is exceptional... Shadow's Mind is pure... and perfect. Who would have thought... that a hedgehog would contain the keys to infinity?"

"Certainly not me Doctor." the associate shook his head. "What about your subjects though?"

"The Great War Ended nearly five years ago, The chameleon's already been released." he said, typing away on the console before him, regulating the spread of Chaos energy to the life support unit on the beast. "At least... his capsule was returned."

"What about the hedgehog woman?"

"Her Capsule leaves tomorrow. With Escort... she's a Queen you know? Over South Rain forest... or so I heard." he heaved a sigh. "A shame what they've put these creatures through on the planet. All that lost life... and for what?"

"I see. Well.. Good Night Doctor, we'll continue our testing in the morning, for now I'm going to review the data here."

"Yes... And Thank you for your understanding an old fool like me." he chuckled.

* * *

Tomorrow never came. As soon as the GUN members boarded, the man to greet them took his last breath. Laser weapons and sight Scopes, the more advanced weaponry to come out of the Great War, now made it on board the ARK as alarms blared. 

"Maria! Shadow! Get Out of here!" Gerald's voice rang over the comm. He watched for a little while as their unique heat signatures scrambled through the halls toward an escape pod. "Damn it... I can't escape like this..." he scrambled for the nearest pod to him, but knew he would never make it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the queen, still trapped in her liquid limbo. "At least... I might be able to give you a chance my dear..."

The buttons were each hit in sequence, rapidly as the day was long. One beep lead to another, and would soon attract unwanted attention. Finally after each lock had been overridden, the machine gave a mechanical hiss as the locks retreated and the capsule itself opened. A rush of fluids pilled at the old man's feet, and a coughing noise met his ears.

"...Espio..." She coughed dazedly. The alarms blasting in her ears quickly brought her back to the present. Her eyes opened, and the horror of five years ago only sunk on her face ten fold. ""No! Where Am---"

"Shh... please... You're on the Space Colony ARK..."

"Space..." She groaned, recalling quickly that the ARK was being completed about the time she was hit with the bullet... but it couldn't be operational yet, not where her mind was.

"There is an escape capsule down the hall to the right... I ... I might not make it... but you must..." the old man wheezed.

"..Thank you... whoever you are."

With help, Queen Aleena climbed down from the capsule and was steadied onto her feet. Almost immediately a GUN member called to his support unit "We have them sir! Down this way!"

"RUN!" He yelled, though he stayed behind in humble surrender.

The Magenta hedgehog tore down the halls, her heart pounding. Part of her wanted to know what was happening, what had happened, but all of her being knew knew... she would have to wait for answers. This was not a good time to play twenty questions.

Her feet fell quickly but heavily upon the floor, it had been so long since her muscles had truly breathed. She could smell the artificial air on the station, recycled and stale, but the panic in it was no different than the world she left. If she would ever see it again.

A noise alerted her and she quickly twisted her head to the side to see a capsule being jettisoned with a black figure in it. Shortly ahead of her was her own capsule. If she could just get there in time. "Stop! Halt!" the words rang in her head as a group of Overlanders chased her. "Hold it right there hedgehog!"

One shot, a Laser this time, ripped right through her. A burning sensation grew over her entire body all at once. The blood didn't flow immediately, as her hand rose to her chest. It had pierced her heart, a glancing blow but one that could end her life, especially since he was taking aim for a second shot to the head. '_Have I... come all this way... just to die...?_' she thought as she coughed up some blood. She laughed at the irony and falteringly took a step for the capsule. A warning shot flew past her head. A little late for that wasn't it?

"Creature! Halt!" one GUN member said.

"Let her Go..." Another said dismissively. "She won't make it far..."

She fell to her knees just a couple feet from the capsule, the overlanders watching and mocking. This is how it was... when Espio died, she thought to herself of a smug overlander riddling his body full of holes, her best guardian gone. She had to survive? Maybe her body wouldn't last but her will had to... She crawled and clawed her way to the capsule, losing consciousness as she slipped into the glass tube, different from the one that had frozen her body. If her body had been freezing before, the feel of her own blood trickling down her fur made her feel like she was on fire. With what consciousness she had left, she hit the firing sequence and the capsule was ejected.

The members of GUN watched for a moment before turning back to business. "Destroy the files." The commander said. "Burn them, blast them, I don't care."

"What about the hedgehog?"

"What about her?"

"She's escaped."

The commander laughed even harder now. "Oh no... She hasn't. Nothing could survive that. Didn't you see? That capsule 's flight path to the earth is too steep, she'll burn up in the atmosphere. And if she doesn't she's going to land right in the middle of the Ocean... Hmph... she's really not a problem."

"I... I see sir."

* * *

The Capsule made it through the atmosphere in on piece, but something was wrong, terribly wrong. For years, no one thought of it, indeed it had never been reported. No one cared, no one dared to wonder what it was doing, in Boulder Bay. How many years had passed, its contents undisturbed...? 

Of course it mattered somehow. Someone with black and red fur with a white tufted chest was looking for it. Because that capsule held the answer to a question he'd been seeking since his second revival... 'Who is my mother?'

On the other hand, we turn the clock back... 18 years. The water is shallow because of a drought, and something metal catches the eye of a Mobian Hedgehog and his brother. The two of them come forward only to be horrified at the sight. At last one of them dares speak... "Jules... how... how awful!!"


	2. Dual Purposes

"We can't leave her here." The younger blue hedgehog, sporting a shock of brown hair said. He knelt down by the partially submerged cylinder and wiped away some of the muck that had been deposited on it. "Can you do something about this?"

The older one went for a closer inspection, his expression becoming deep and troubled. He was quiet for a while, considering. "The capsule's life support systems are in working order..." he studied the mechanism. A G.U.N logo was on it, along with some more information scrawled on a small metal plate. His concerns only deepened at that. "... I don't know what we can do." The lighter furred one said just above a whisper.

"Charles... you're the science genius, you could get her out of that..."

"But to what?" The one answering to Charles replied. "She may be alive, but... those wounds." He wiped away more of the mess, revealing the unconscious form of a magenta hedgehog. She'd long ago been stripped of whatever clothing she might have worn, so the laser burns and injuries seemed far more pronounced had she been in her usual garb. She was quite pretty, but her sleep was not an easy one. "..If she is not dead already, then opening this capsule will finish the job." he said gravely.

"But we can't leave her..." Jules insisted.

After a while, Charles broke off the plate with the G.U.N. logo on it, and the two returned to Mobotropolis. Charles had not long ago become recognized as a scientific genius in the field of robotics and cybernetics. His aptitude for machining had won him much favor in the scientific community, and several of his machines had been produced for medical purposes. Cybernetic replacements had helped people, especially soldiers who had survived the Great War more or less in tact. Perhaps that is why Jules had faith in his brother to revive the young woman, yet... that would not be today.

Unsure who to approach, or how, the young scientist fashioned a portable power source to insure the capsule remained powered in transit. He was sure she was someone important, and even if she wasn't, the GUN logo was more of a problem. The relations between "Overlanders" and Mobians had been a strained one. With a tentative treaty between the two groups, shortly to be signed by Mobotropolis' King, it would be unwise to stir up old troubles. Still, the matter of the woman in the stasis tube could not be ignored.

Seeking comfort, Charles looked to his mentor, a portly human male with a bushy red mustache. "Dr. Kintobor?"

"What brings you here?" Dr. Kintobor asked in genuine interest. He had moments before been engaged by some plans he was drawing up for the war ministry. War was his business, and that seemed to be in short supply lately.

"I seem to have come across something that may belong to G.U.N.'s military and am at a loss what to do..." The scientist lit up whenever the word war was used, but he maintained a neutral expression while he listened to his hedgehog colleague. It was not a weapon, as he had hoped, but there was some promise in the hedgehog's proposition.

"There is no technology I know of that would insure her survival outside of that glass chamber." The _overlander_ human concluded after hearing the discovery. Charles and his brother had been on a camping trip, and come across something truly remarkable, but not helpful.

"I understand that, which is why I'm going to ask you to help me secure funding for some research." Charles said. No matter how small a thing he felt he was asking, his heart always raced at the prospect of a new project. This one would truly be a matter of life or death however.

"Do tell." Kintobor said. He knew full well Mobians had a tight knit society, and an unwillingness to leave friends and comrades behind. It had been the downfall of South Kingdom, as their forces fell in tandem. Yet it had also allowed the continuance of the Northern Kingdom of Mobotropolis which he now called home.

"I... would like to work on a device, that would transfigure a living body into a mobile metal state..."

"... Create living robots?" Kintobor marveled. It must have sounded disproving to Charles, as he hesitated before he continued.

"In essence, yes. I hope to allow the subject to keep memories and free will. The purpose of the Metal 'shell' if you will, is to allow the body to heal." Kintobor remained silent, so he took cue to continue, "If flesh can be made metal and vice versa, then the reverse procedure could leave the subject whole. Within the metals would be a 'metallic DNA imprint'. Our bodies already carry in them metal and mineral contents such as iron or zinc. I'm hoping that if those traits can be enhanced, then the process can be made safely."

"And, this hedgehog under glass is what prompted interest in such a highly implausable and dangerously radical procedure?" Kintobor was now looking intently at the light blue hedgehog, who wilted under the scrutiny.

"Yes, sir." Charles said, trying his best to be firm, but feeling weak as he always did around the scientific giant.

"You do realize that this experiment you're proposing will most likely be denied?" The hedgehog nodded. "Even if such a thing is accepted, the ramifications of it could label you a modern Dr. Frankenstien..." he peered at the quaking mobian with some perverse delight in his mind. "Your idea here is foolish. The premise is shoddy at best. If you were to succeed, the line between flesh and machine would be irreversibly blurred and issues of rights would come into question... In short, such a venture would tread on the plane of god-hood... Mammal over Machine or Machine over Mammal... Knowing this, Sir Charles... would you pursue this... grand experiment?"

"I... would like to. I feel the benefit to Mobian kind would far outweigh any negative effects, sir. That is precisely why I came to you... I doubted anyone else would understand, but I have to help this woman."

Kintobor gave a heavy sigh, "I am afraid I cannot allow you to undertake such a task..." the hedgehog's expression sank into hopelessness. "That is, I cannot let you undertake it alone. I can, however, offer my full support... Under the condition that you keep me well informed on your progress, I will help in any way I can."

"You... You would?" He said in disbelief.

The human nodded once more, "I believe this would be a huge asset to our Military. Just consider all the casualties of all the wars fought, if such machines existed to revive people from the brink of death... why.. I see no reason not to explore it."

"Yes, of course." Charles nodded.

"Oh... one more thing..." there was a pause, and the hedgehog kept one ear to the human, "The funding will come from private sources, as such, I expect total confidentiality. This will keep pesky government officials from prying too closely until we have solid material to show them." Though the hedgehog nodded, he was not entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing... yet he had done what he set out to do. He had secured hope for the wounded hedgehog... hope... that life would somehow continue.

* * *

The passing of time had not come for the lady in the glass. Charles had updated the support systems, and managed to make sure she was stable. While his brother Jules looked on his childhood sweetheart Bernadette as his love and eventual wife, Charles looked on the capsule day after day. It seemed to him, if he were not imagining things, that her expression of pain had eased since being retrieved from the shore of Boulder Bay. He would look on her often, as he designed the roboticizer just for her.

Just who was she? Why was he there? What did G.U.N. have to do with things? These questions he could find no answers for. Station Square kept tight wraps on their millitary's files, and especially those involving their strongest group - G.U.N. itself. With no hint to her origins aside her physical complexion, it was impossible to identify her accurately. It was easier to find out about the space capsule she came from. There were a few manned satellites in orbit around Mobius, most notably was the now abandoned Space Colony Arc. The design matched those from such constructs, but material on its contents or why it would have been there was as much a mystery as the day he and his brother had found it.

"Looking at her again?" Jules said with a small smile on his face.

"Brother..." Charles shook his head. He yawned and stretched his limbs, as he had been sitting cooped up in his lab all day.

"Don't try to deny it... You feel connected to her."

Charles chuckled a bit. "Maybe I do. I keep wondering what kind of person she was... and how she ended up in such a state."

Jules looked on the capsule thoughtfully, "Maybe she was a b-i-t-c..."

"Don't say it!" the light hedgehog snapped at his brother, much to his chagrin.

"Seriously, I know we promised we'd help her, but you staying down here all the time isn't healthy for you. She's been resting in this capsule a while, she can wait a little longer." He looked at the capsule, rather than looking at his brother. "You'll be no use to anyone if you don't take care of yourself." He said, making a valid point. "She is pretty. Not as pretty as Bernie though."

"All right, all right. I give up, let's go get something to eat, eh?"

"And make sure you get some sleep too. You have a big day ahead." Jules replied and the two exited the facility.

* * *

It would be several years before Sir Charles created the Roboticizer, his master invention. In the meantime, he had been promoted to the head of the Science Academy in Dr. Kintobor's place. He had been promoted to Warlord over Mobotropolis' defense force. He had been making a case for building up the military, and a recent shooting incident between a human and mobian had strained tensions once more.

As promised, Charles held nothing back from his human associate, something he would regret in the not too distant future. Dr. Kintobor had made some suggestions for the machine, so it had been made to accommodate up to six patients at a time. To make sure the subject it was intended for stayed in one piece, the hardware of the stasis tube was connected directly to the machine.

Small scale tests had been performed on organic matter. Plants were difficult at best to manipulate, however animal hairs and graphs of skin made the transition better in early tests. Metal that had not come from robotization had yet to be made into anything remotely resembling flesh, but metal that had once been organic was, after extensive testing, possible to revert to its original form.

Inevitably, living beings would have to be used in the tests. Ants and butterflies were the first subjects. Charles had remained conscious about not using the intelligent mobian versions in the testing. The final step was what both excited and sickened him the most. If the test failed, he would have killed someone who's name he didn't even know. On the other hand, she was barely alive as it was with no hope of recovery otherwise. If it worked on a physical level, his next fear was the mind. It was one thing to alter physical appearance, but the brain was still much a mystery to science.

With the machine complete, his work would soon come to fruition. His ethics, his morals, were on the line. Had he tread where men dare not? Should he be doing this? But every time he glanced at the contents of the tube, his heart skipped a beat. He'd fallen in love with the visage in the glass. So close to her, yet so far. His fingers lingered on the cylindrical tube longer than he meant to. He didn't even know her name, how could he be in love? Would she like him? Would she understand what he had to do to revive her? It was his only hesitation...

Warlord Kintobor put more and more pressure on Charles to run the final experiment. The pressure was getting to him, but there were all those unanswered questions... Enough was enough, and the mobian scientist stood breathlessly in front of the machine that would make and break his career. Nay, it would determine more than he knew, affecting more than just the hedgehog he had built the machine around.


	3. I Know Something you don't Know

Life is a curious thing. So many factors contribute to, and attempt to derail it, before it begins. It sits on a razor's edge, and with a little shove in one direction or another, it takes hold or fails to be. In the eyes of most, life is accepted as a natural course of things, mingled with death when its time comes. Others see the grim reaper everywhere, and a select few see themselves as the reaper.

Drifting in the lifeless void of space, the Space Colony Ark stood silent and unattended. It wasn't that the systems didn't work, as a highly recycled atmosphere continued to circulate, but it was not in the slightest bit a tourist trap. It was just as silent as everything around him, Shadow the Hedgehog had come to think in his fortress of solitude.

Free of Black Doom and the Black Arms, he knew, understood who and what he was. It was hard for the tainted hedgehog to grasp the feelings of lamentation from the late doctor for the path he'd chosen. His mind was supposed to be so pure…. Perhaps it was, in a way; he had endless focus and concentration, a concept his rival Sonic seemed to have in short supply. That ability was also a curse to the overly rational hedgehog, not known for spontaneity. Long had he brooded over his origins, and now that they were revealed, he was no more certain that his life was valid and meaningful as the day he had awakened from his cold sleep.

It was when he was with others, when he dared to break the mold from which he was made, that he felt alive. Maria had dulled the sharp edges of his being, along with Dr. Gerald Robotnik's kindness. Losing her had left a void in him, that much he knew, and trying to grasp at it had caused him much heartache. Amy had reminded him of a promise he once made, one that made him feel for the world of which he was loosely a part.

He was reaching for something beyond his grasp, something simple to the naturally made creatures of the world below. Love, light, harmony, peace. Shadow's idea of peace was the solitude to which he was accustomed. However, the more the hedgehog lingered with those who walked in the light, the more his isolation became cold and lonely. Sunlight and warm beaches, the rush of air as he ran by, the appeal for these things was there. He desired to feel welcome in the world Maria loved, but inside he was afraid of the comforts and familiarity of the dark. If he was ever to move forward, he would have to lose himself.

_'... Am I just a creation? Does my origin mean I am not truly alive?' _He was no closer to answering that than he was when he boarded the abandoned space station. He had never bothered to clean; it was left as it had been when the Colony was attacked. It was the same now as when G.U.N. and EGGMAN's troops occupied it. Not a piece of clutter had been cleared, and for the one who lingered in the past, that was just fine. Yet, Sonic and his friends had continually persisted the idea that he was alive and his existence was meaningful. All he had to do was convince himself of that.

Away from the grandiose view of the outer hub of the station, Shadow idly tapped on a computer console. He'd never gotten very far into the system on his own; Tails was the hacker, not him. It was all meaningless junk to him, what he could get from the systems, that was. Names, dates, memos, birthdays... the faces, the names, the dates, they meant nothing to Shadow. Nothing except Maria and Gerald caught his eye.

After a few minutes of scrolling through the surface files, Shadow was bored, and his mind had begun to once again drift. It went through the usual self-deprecatory cycles, broken by momentary lapses in his logistics telling him to let go and move on. After a while of sifting through names and dates, one record at last, caught his eye. A name he well recognized, "...Espio?"

* * *

"You're pretty young looking for an old man." Rouge's silky voice carried to a certain purple chameleon. Not dwelling on the slightly curious expression in his topaz eyes, she seated herself before him on his desk.

"What do you want?" the reptilian Mobian replied without curiosity creeping into his tone.

"Nothing much, I was just doing a little investigation on your little private eye service here." The femme bat shrugged.

"It belongs to Vector, but that leads me to question why you're checking up on us."

"Sharp as those shurikens, aren't you?" Rouge smiled, a lusty hint in her voice. If there's one thing that delighted her as much as jewels, it was springing a surprise on someone. "I just wanted to know who I'm dealing with. I can find records on everyone in the team, barring Knuckles, of course. Granted, he and you both have government files, but there's something of an anomaly in yours..." The Chameleon cocked an eyebrow. "...You have no records predating your involvement with Vector's Private Eye service."

"So I'm rather under the radar. That's a good trait for a spy, don't you think?" He smirked at her, but he was hoping she'd get to her point and leave as quickly as she'd come.

"Very, but it's so far under the radar...I'd say it should be about six feet deep." A chill ran through Espio's spine. Rouge's intensely interested gaze never left him or missed the slight shiver through him. When she received no backlash, she continued, "I've found records of _an _Espio the chameleon operating in South Kingdom about 55 years ago, however."

"Your point?" he said sharply.

"That Espio bore a strong resemblance to you and held a similar fighting style. Are you good with swords at all?"

"I've practiced with a Katana once or twice." he replied matter-of-factly.

"My point being is that he was supposed to have died during the Great War. You have any explanation for this, or should I just keep calling you 'old man?'"

Espio gave a humorless laugh, then smiled. "Call me whatever you like, doesn't change who I am. History's history, and that is that." He shrugged. "What you say makes no difference to me. Whether I'm five or fifty-five, what does it matter?"

"Nothing, I guess." Rouge went into a fake pout and sighed a little.

"If you're hoping to get something out of me, it would be better to tell me what it is you want, and why I should answer you."

Now the bat bore a fanged grin, "Ahh... but I think I might have something that would interest you...or any survivor of the _War..._"

* * *

_A female hedgehog... There was a female hedgehog on the Ark._ Shadow kept thinking about it; he'd been focused on it. The crew of the Space Colony was all _human_, every last one of them. He had never encountered a Mobian on board in what little time he could even remember. Yet, the records had indicated several Mobian specimens had spent time on board.

The first name that had sparked his interest was the arrival of one _Espio the Chameleon_ and next to his name, an unspecified _Female Hedgehog_ was listed beneath him. They had arrived on the same day, but there was little information on them. Both profiles described physical make-up, age, eye color, weight, etc. She was _101 cm (3'3"), Weight 30.3 kg (67 lb), Age approx 24-26._ Espio's profile matched the Espio he currently knew, which confirmed in Shadow's mind that he was the same being. _Purple Chameleon, 110 cm (3'7"), Weight 36 kg (79.3 lb), Age approx 16-17 years. _It was him to a tee.

The significance of the find was still reeling in Shadow's mind. He had always felt alone, apart from the world. After finding out about Black Doom, he was even more secure in his feeling of being _alien_ to the planet. That security had just been unhinged, and he didn't take well to the frail bubble his psyche was encased in being so rudely popped.

He could think of only one reason that a hedgehog would have been on the Space Colony: genetic material. Perhaps that was a bit clinical, but considering what he was, he had a somewhat detached mind when it came to regarding other beings. It made sense to him. If Black Doom was his genetic father, then his unassuming form of an oddly marked hedgehog was a strange offspring.

There really was nothing in the laws of the universe stating that there was anything outstanding about a hedgehog other than its quills and sense of smell. They were not tall or strong creatures, not generally fast or highly intelligent. The form had to have been chosen by Dr. Gerald Robotnik. That being said, he could easily have chosen human kind to represent the Ultimate Life Form. The human ego knew no bounds; the narcissism which Eggman enjoyed was proof enough of that. Yet, a humble hedgehog had been the form of Black Doom's bane, and that form was not a matter of random chance.

Another thing tickled his mind as he considered the prototype ULF, the Biolizard. It _was_ a reptile, and so was Espio. That might have been pushing things a bit far. With so many files on the ARK either damaged or encrypted, there was no way for Shadow to find his answers without asking someone who had actually been there. That chameleon was the only one he could think of.

It was kind of late to be making a house call, but Shadow didn't care. He assumed the chameleon wouldn't either. A light was on inside the shack the detective agency called home, and the darkened hedgehog could see shadows cast by the ceiling fan against the walls. A crocodilian form was also visible in the shadows. Undoubtedly, Vector had fallen asleep at his desk yet again. Flickering shadows told him that the young bee Charmy was also awake and probably attempting to rouse the croc. Dedicated to more important matters, he knew that the one he sought would be out back training.

The backyard, if you could call it that, had a number of training devices set up. Humanoid dummies, posts, targets, and more were scarred with countless marks from repeated use. There were few beings in the world who could get the drop on Shadow, and Espio was one of them. His rigid training had made him a force to be reckoned with. Knowing the rules of engagement, there were two ways he could go about this, and subtlety was not his intention right now.

Stepping into the dim light of the center of the training pit, he said simply, "I'm here. Show yourself."

Silence answered him. The moon was full that night, and a slight breeze blew the grass gently, like fingertips running through silky hair. It was a beautiful night really, but after seeing darkness from space, it failed to impress the solitary hedgehog standing in its midst. He held his ground quietly and patiently, not allowing himself to so much as twitch an ear.

The silent plea was answered when a shuriken shot past Shadow's ear, almost giving him a new haircut. Still, he didn't move. "What do you want?" In an instant, Shadow found himself within inches of the chameleon's face, with a Kunai held to his neck, while another hand held the tuft of white fur on his chest. Shadow cracked a brief smile; they were almost kindred spirits in a way. They were both focused, disciplined, and neither one liked beating around the bush.

"Answers." Shadow replied coolly. He didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the aggressive hello. After all, the chameleon was training; sneaking up on people was just a part of it.

"What makes you think I have any for you?" he said as he went to retrieve his wayward shuriken.

"You were on the Ark."

The topaz eyes narrowed at the mention of it. "Who told you that? Rouge?"

Shadow shook his head, "I came across your name in the computer systems. I go up there to think... I thought I was the only anthro up there."

Espio relaxed a bit and sat down on a stump. He grinned a little bit, twirling the shuriken on a finger as idly as one would play with a basketball. "Interesting...that's twice today I've been told I was on board the Ark." Shadow raised a brow at that. "Rouge paid me a visit earlier, but I doubt my being on Ark is really that special to you. What is it?"

Shadow thought he detected a subtle difference in the chameleon's manner. Seasoned ninja he may have been, but he was still only 16 years old physically. He attributed the shift to that at first, though he himself was technically an 'old man' as well. Back to the question at hand, though, he was not quite so sure he knew what to say or how to say it. "I want to know who else was up there. I want to know...I wasn't alone as I thought."

"You're the one with the records, not me. I was chillin' in a stasis tube my whole time there." Espio returned.

"Disappointing..." he said wearily. "There was a hedgehog on the Ark." At those words, the eyes of the chameleon almost glowed with something he couldn't quite place. "No name attached, but then, I'm not a hacker so I can't say what I might find by prying deeper." Whatever he knew or didn't know, Espio was good at what he did, and Shadow was willing to... trust...someone to aid him in his quest...

It was a quest for truth, and a kind he had never before considered. His personal truth was that he wanted to feel normal, and find out what that even was. If he found what he was looking for, he would have a kind of 'normal' in his life that every other being seemed to enjoy...knowing you are not alone...knowing...you have family...maybe one that cares.

For Espio, the truth would be a little simpler to grasp, that he had not failed to protect something... 55 years ago.


	4. Turncoats and Tartar Sauce

Author Notes: Wow, a fan character or two. Don't worry, I won't litter the story with them. Heh! I'll keep them background as much as possible.

As always: Sonic and co are © of SEGA™ while characters like Uncle Chuck and Sally Acorn belong respectively to DIC and Archie Comic Publications.

* * *

It was a sunny day in Station Square, its sky scrapers gleaming against the sun's gentle rays. The sky was blue, the trees were green, and the exhaust fumes from cars passing by smelled the same. It wasn't long ago that this day happened, and it was a very ordinary day, that would eventually have greater ramifications.

A green reptilian figure was making his way to the harbor to meet an old friend while enjoying the scenery. To his mind, he had never envisioned _humans_ letting his kind freely walk the streets. In his day, and he chuckled to think that he would ever say that line, humans and Mobians had a tentative relationship at best. When he was a teenager, they were outright inflamed... It still seemed strange to him to see Mobians in Station Square, though 8 of the population was now furry.

A few shops dotted the harbor's catwalks, fish merchants mostly. There was a restaurant here or there, his favorite being a sushi shop. But he wasn't here for sushi, and instead wound up at a quaint little outdoor café. It had the usual cobbled patio complete with circular rod-iron tables set with bi-color umbrellas sticking out of their centers. It was a nice cozy place for a date, but he was a little old for that kind of thing.

He sidled up into a chair, sitting across from a silver-haired "fox" of a man. He wore an old army jacket akin to the one the crocodile bore, and the two greeted each other curtly. After a few moments, they were tended to by a waitress who took their orders. Extra rare steak for the crocodile, with a side of onion rings and some cole slaw, and the human jokingly asked for "shit on a shingle" which caused raucous laughter from the pair but confused and disgusted looks from others. After wiping a tear from his eye, he asked for an Italian Panini, extra crispy, and a side of cole slaw with a Diet Coke.

"Watching your weight these days?" The crock commented after the waitress left.

"A bit; doctor says I need to cut down on the cholesterol." the man shrugged. "So, how've you been, Rhombus?"

"About as good as can be expected, I guess." the Mobian replied. He stretched his arms out in a test of flexibility. He mused at his slightly grayish-yellow scales that once shone a brilliant green. He remembered a time when his companion had slightly reddish-brown hair. "So what about yourself, Arnold?"

"Can't complain, government pays my medical expenses. Been a little rough since Hilda passed away, get kind of lonely, you know." He took a sip of some water the waitress had brought them before their orders were taken. The green one nodded, remembering when his own mate had passed away some years ago.

They spoke about the past at length, recalling some of their glory days in the military. War was bittersweet to them. Doing their duty and defending their loved ones had been an honor and a privilege, but the friends and family they had lost was nonetheless tragic. They discussed trivial and mundane matters, often leading to the various aches and pains old age had brought them. Two Lipton ice teas later, and seconds on both meals, both men were full.

"Well, that was pretty good." Arnold said, running his fingers through his thinning hair. "But you know, it has been a while since we last got together like this."

"Yes, it has." he agreed simply.

The human's hazel eyes focused on the croc. "Last time we did this, I seem to recall you having ulterior motives." he raised a brow.

"How good are your relations with your son Frank?" he said, not returning the eye contact, and sipping his tea.

"Rhombus, if this is about that..." He sighed. "I can't ask Frank to jeopardize his position, you know that."

Rhombus was quiet for a minute while he stared at his tea, a wedge of lemon floating neatly between a couple of ice cubes. "It's been over fifty years now, you know. They're starting to declassify a number of files relating to that period."

"That would be a matter of public record. Just go to a library if you want information on the Great War." Arnold said, not at all comfortable with the direction this conversation was going.

"Look, South lost, and I was a part of that...I just feel like I should find out what happened to the others." The aged reptile said, showing his age for once. Mobians tended to maintain more of their agility and mental stamina than humans did, but he was feeling a bit run down lately.

"We've all lost people we love, we were just talking about that not long ago, but that's it--they're lost. You can't bring them back." Arnold said in a tone that indicated he would rather stay out of trouble. He looked at his friend with some concern.

"That's the curious thing, you see... I know I turned _her_ over alive. Her capture was an integral part of winning the war there…."

"Yes, it broke the South's spirit, that's old news."

Rhombus' expression sank, "I know she was alive, Arnold. They promised she would not be harmed... If anyone knew _I _was responsible for her capture..."

"Rhombus, shut it!" He clamped his hands over the croc's mouth, but his expression was not harsh, but compassionate. "You did what you could to end the violence, that's all there is to it. I know Aleena was alive, but it's been years...if she was still alive, wouldn't people have heard?"

Rhombus pushed the hands away and sighed, "That's just the thing... There's no news of her death or her being alive. She's another Anastasia, if you will, and I'm one of the few people left who even remembers her. And it's not just her…Espio, Wolfgang, Tucker, Harefoot...everyone connected with her has just vanished off the radar. You want to talk about crushed spirits? I lay awake at night wondering where they are. Sabrina was a wonderful woman, especially being faithful to me after the court martial...don't get me wrong...but they're all _gone without a trace._"

"You were lucky the court martial didn't entail a firing squad." Arnold was quiet for a moment. He lowered his voice so only Rhombus could hear, "I can't help where it comes to that one, but...I might be able to help you find the others."

The greenish-yellow one relaxed visibly. "Thank you."

* * *

Nobody would have thought that Sir Charles was a great scientific mind, seeing as his chosen profession was chili dog chef. Chuck's Chili Dogs was a somewhat popular restaurant, making him a decent living since returning to life in the flesh. He had stepped down as head of the Scientific Council, while Rotor the Walrus had succeeded him. He didn't mind really; he just wanted a simple life now.

Things had been rather difficult for him in the past. He recalled a shooting incident involving his brother Jules that had left him critically injured. That had been the start of his troubles, forcing his hand in completing the much dreaded Roboticizer. He sighed thinking about that fiasco. Even if Julian Kintobor had tampered with the mechanism, it was still his designs and his plans. He remembered, with much shame, how it had stripped its first targets of their free will. He had been one of those victims for a long time, and only the mythical Power Rings or emerald exposure could break the rigid mind control. Yet, somehow that wasn't enough.

He had been helpless to do anything about it. Forced to watch friends and strangers turned into mindless slaves. Kintobor--or Robotnik, as he had renamed himself, made sure the roboticizers were looked after by the one who made them to begin with. So much trouble over a simple desire to heal. With time, less and less of the "Robians" (Robot Mobians) were made of their original materials, requiring servicing to continue operating. With each new part, the hopes of being whole had increasingly slipped away.

The alien race, the Bem, had offered a counter to robotization that left all its inhabitants whole again. Sir Charles and his sister-in-law Bernie had enjoyed the process...as had countless other Mobians. Yet, much to his lamentation, Sonic's father Jules remained metal. The logical reasoning for this was that the process would not have restored him, and his chances for surviving in his natural state were between slim and none. Still, he wanted to set things right.

"Can I get some fish sticks?" A portly purple walrus in a backward baseball cap and utility jacket with belt said with a grin.

Snapping to his senses, the light blue hedgehog nodded, "Right away, Rotor, but you know I specialize in chili dogs."

"And you know I prefer fish." He licked his lips and smiled at the idea of food. He was not a lightweight freedom fighter, and he stood several inches taller than Sonic.

"Say, Rotor... You still have those plans for the deroboticizer, don't you?" Chuck said as he laid the batter-dipped fish down on the grill.

"Which ones? I still have the original plans as well as modifications and some of the Bem technology." He sniffed the air and licked his lips. He, like Tails, had often skipped meals when involved on a particularly interesting project, though his waistline did not reflect such things.

"Hmm... Then I'd like to look them all over if I could, particularly the Bem model." Chuck hummed a bit to himself as he flipped the fish sticks.

"Eh? What for? Everyone's back to normal now, and Eggman hasn't even used that kind of technology in quite a while now. Not since he started the E-100 series."

"Well...not everyone." Chuck grimaced a bit.

"Bunnie's happy being a cyborg. Besides, she has Antoine supporting her. Who would have guessed about those two, eh?" he chuckled. The smell of fish sticks was intoxicating, and while they may not have been an Uncle Chuck specialty, he was no slouch at making them either.

Charles chuckled at that. "No, I wouldn't have imagined Antoine and Bunny would become an item. This isn't about her, though." He shook some salt and pepper onto the fishy treats and flipped them again. "Would you like anything else, Boomer?"

Rotor grinned; it had been a while since he was pegged with that nickname. "Hmm... now that you mention it, I'll take some home fries annnd...a cup of chili." He adjusted small round glasses sitting on his nose and took a notebook out of one of his many pockets. He flipped through a few pages of technical notes while he waited for his food. "...Is it about Sonic's dad?"

"Yes...in part." He flipped the fish sticks onto a plate (with tartar sauce), as well as the fries. He then ladled out a serving of his famous chili and set the tray down before the hungry walrus.

The portly Mobian cocked a brow as he started munching his crispy, greasy meal. Ahh, nothing like well grilled food. "Only in part?" He loved seafood...he loved machines...probably more than was mentally sound.

"Yes, well, could I look the plans over?" Chuck started wiping down the hot plate, turning away from the walrus. Jules was not the only Mobian left un-restored, and he wanted to finish what was started more than ten years ago.

"I guess there's no harm in it. Can I have some coffee, please?" He added a liberal dollop of ketchup to his home fries and slathered the excess tartar sauce onto it as well, smearing the mixture in with his fork. "I'm not against you, Uncle Chuck, it's just...I'm curious. Bernie and Sonic have kind of adapted to Jules being what he is...and besides him, I can't think of anyone else in need of deroboticizing."

Chuck served him some espresso with four cubes of sugar and two tablespoons of vanilla creamer. "Maybe I haven't gotten used to it. He is my brother, after all. However well adjusted he is, the fact he's locked in that form is proof of my failure. It really should be me in that form rather than him."

"You're still dodging the question." Rotor replied, though he thanked him for the espresso. Good ol' Chuck knew when he said coffee, he actually meant espresso. That would keep him going for the next sixteen hours or so. "Who else is a robot?"

Chuck was quiet for a while. He hung up a dish towel and lowered the heat on the grill. As there were no other customers around, he made himself a cup of coffee and sat opposing Rotor. A slightly distant look entered his eyes, sad but compassionate. "It's a long story really. I just...I really want this, Rotor."

The young mechanic looked into his eyes and nodded. "All right. Anything for a friend. But when you are done...let me know."

"Deal." Chuck grinned, as a breeze suddenly burst into the diner.

"Two chili dogs with the works, pal!" Sonic called out in a very clear tone that made both Charles and Rotor laugh.

"You got it." Chuck replied and went back to work with a smile, feeling a bit elated after talking to his young friend. From there, he just listened to Sonic and Rotor catch up on current events. Rotor was trying to modify nanite technology to allow Nicole a Mobian-form, while Sonic related some of the places he'd been to and people he'd met. Not far behind the blue blur was an orange fox with two tails. It was a great measure of comfort to the older hedgehog that the young ones had friends and family to relate to...a twinge of longing washed over him, but maybe soon he too would have someone in his life.


	5. Death and Renewal

"Are these guys still alive?" one of GUN's research team said, staring at a capsule containing a Mobian wolf. If it wasn't his imagination, he had twitched moments before. Alongside him were other capsules with other Mobians. But they were in tubes, sleeping or dead, and the man was inclined to think the latter for peace of mind. He was told that any in suspended animation would not survive otherwise and were little more than preserved organ donors, but the man had growing doubts about things.

"Ahh, don't worry about it, Edmund," came the voice of a man beside him with brown hair and a beard to match. A pair of glasses rested on his nose and a cup of espresso was held in one hand. "Don't think of them as alive right now; we need to get rid of them soon."

"...Get rid of?" the one answering to Edmund replied with a sinking expression. All the color had drained from his face. "That would be... murder! Steve..."

"It's out of our hands. The big brass considers them _animals_ and that's the way it needs to be. Put them down, put 'em to sleep...it's like a dog or a rabid squirrel. Don't get attached, okay?" He sipped his espresso and looked at a console readout rather than the capsules. "People have been asking questions about our operations lately, and with GUN's involvement in the Ark catastrophe, it wouldn't do well to uncover what we have here."

Edmund looked sick. "What are they telling the public?"

"We're a research facility looking for cures to various diseases. We do selective animal testing. They have a dummy lab upstairs with typical wildlife animals."

"... and while that's partly true, the truth is that we're dissecting Mobians and studying their physiology." Edmund looked at the encapsulated prisoners regretfully. After a moment he hung his head in shame. "What have we done?"

"It's not a big deal as long as we stick to that story," Steve replied casually.

"But...you know as well as I do that Mobians are creatures with thoughts and feelings on par with our own. They also inhabit some of our cities...at least seven percent of Station Square is furry now." He had been a bit more comfortable with the idea of disposing of the specimens when he thought they were dead. It had also been easier when he was younger and not accustomed to the company of Mobians. As the city's population of furries grew, however, he had grown close to several. There were even a select few in GUN, but when it came to his own job now, he tragically regretted choosing to be on the MRF - Mobian Research Facility. It was called the "Mammalian" Research Facility on the outside, but those within knew better. Largely they stuck to collecting samples, but as the push for Mobian rights was pressed forward, the team had delved into more invasive procedures, and several of the live specimens had died. They were accelerating their projects to get ahead before they were shut down for inhumane treatment of Mobian animals, and Edmund shuddered at having had a part to play in the whole sordid affair.

"That's why they're shutting us down, Ed. It's no longer considered lawful to treat Mobians like this when the population is growing with them. Being as they are throwbacks to the Great War, I doubt they'd even fit in with modern society. It's best that they just go on sleeping a little bit longer...like forever." He peered at the tubes over his glasses while he suppressed a smile. Did he enjoy abusing them? Yes. He'd lost family in the War, and it had been to the Mobians' side. He had no qualms about getting rid of them en masse. Truth be told, he derived some perverse pleasure from their helpless states and often envisioned them in unpleasant scenarios involving an operating table and his personal scalpel. _Furries on par with humans. What utter rubbish... Well, as they say, 'garbage in, garbage out.'_

Edmund sighed and watched silently as Steve began working on the proper disposal method. He typed some sequence of keys into the computer program on his scene and the capsule containing the wolf was moved into position on a machine. That machine had been used to deliver both viruses and vaccines of various types to test subjects, as well as other materials. Now, the mint green liquid was injected with a cloudy purple substance, quickly obscuring the figure within. A shudder rippled through Edmund as his brain registered that it was some kind of poison and the poor being within would never awaken again. "S-steve...I really don't like this... We can't just... just...do this... What about official orders?" His heart about stopped when he saw the figure in the capsule thrash about, clawing at the glass from within. _He was alive!_ He wouldn't be for long if he didn't do something fast. Steve had tried to say something about orders when he cut him off. He wrestled for control of the console and hit the abort sequence, the capsule glass quickly retreating, and a coughing weak mess of a Mobian wolf tumbling out of the liquid, which had a mucus-like quality to it.

"Damn it, Edmund, you shithead! How dare you?!" Steve knocked the scientist out of the way as he called for a lockdown on Test Chamber #4. He paid his colleague no mind as the man scrambled to get down to the ground level to help the ailing wolf. "It's too late to stop it," he said over the intercom. A second capsule began pulling into position in the testing chamber. _Poor fool. I told you not to get attached._

With all the commotion of the alarm, the man didn't see a Mobian figure sneaking through the grounds. Nobody had. But he was there, watching the exchange between the two scientists. He rather favored Ed's compassion, but it was only as he took a closer look from the observatory did he notice who the dying wolf was. _Wolfgang?!_ "BASTARD!"

"What the?!" Steve didn't have a chance to say much more as the 5'9" Mobian crocodile grabbed him by one shoulder and stabbed him in the side with a knife held in the other hand. His gaping maw bit harshly into the man's neck and most of his other shoulder. There was something satisfying in the snapping of bone as his collarbone and shoulder blades gave way with an audible crack. He had always liked rare meat, so he was used to the taste of blood, though not usually fresh and hot like what came from his jugular vein. He may have been old, but he still proved that crocodiles were excellent ambush predators.

He let go of the dead scientist, turning his attention now to the capsules in the chamber below. His first instinct was to smash the computers and hope that removed the locks, but something told him brute force wouldn't work. He also assumed more GUN bastards would be down soon to investigate the freshly sounded alarms. It was the man below he needed.

Mind set, the old reptile picked up a nearby rolling chair and hurled it through the glass window overlooking the testing center below. He then made a daring leap, ignoring a few scrapes from the shattered glass, or that he hadn't thought through the fall, his knees being cut up by the glass shards. The man in the room was startled to say the least, and most likely alarmed by the blood on the croc. It wouldn't be hard to figure out whose blood it was, but the man looked him over quickly and saw that it was the wolf he took most interest in. "...Wolfgang, ol' buddy...you still with me?"

"Is... Is that his name?" the human said, cradling the Mobian wolf to himself.

The croc didn't wait, and checked his friend's condition. Aside the slimy substance coating his fur, his eyes were dull and his body growing cold. He knew he would not last long. Shaking, and with shallow breaths, the Mobian Wolf replied, "Rhombus...is...is that you? You...you came..." he coughed.

"I'm sorry." He changed his glance to the human with a very serious look in his eyes. He wiped away the blood from his mouth as best he could and cleared his throat before talking, "If you care anything for Mobian life, let us all free…now. We haven't got much time if the others are to be saved."

"Y-yes...Rhombus, was it? I'm Dr. Edmund Lancaster...I'm---"

"Just do what you can. I don't have time..." the croc pleaded and demanded at once. Though he didn't sound panicked, he had no time to waste. There was a feeling in his gut he would be joining Wolfgang soon and knelt by his friend who had not yet passed. In his suspended state, he had not aged a day, and yet, whatever had been done now coursed through his body as a painful and slow death. It was one of those times he imagined his jaws snapping his neck, just to end things quickly as the fear crept into Wolfgang's eyes. "Yes... it's me, Johan Wolfgang."

Shakily, he looked at his friend and tried not to shake so much, but it was some kind of neuro-toxin he had been fed and he couldn't help it. "What kept you?"

"Things... I'll be with you again shortly. We'll have all eternity to sort things out then." Rhombus said quietly.

"Wait...what do you mean?" he shook with cold now as his body began to numb. "Where is everyone...? ... Did we win?" The croc made a pensive expression and his heart sank. "Where is the Queen?"

"I don't know... but I'll find out. You all did your best…." As Rhombus tried to console his dying friend, the human worked swiftly to unlock the stasis capsules. The first two he tried unraveled only dead bodies...the first was a gecko and the second was a falcon. Neither were in good shape.

Edmund felt even worse as his fingers desperately flew across the keys. He felt as he had since signing in on the project, that he was on the outside looking in. Rhombus sheltered his companion from the sight of death until the toxin finished the job and he eased his eyes shut one last time. It was easy to tell the old Mobian had been through a lot; no crocodile tears here, if you please. It made him try all the harder to shut down the operations and unlock the capsules. The security team had already reached the upper deck and was in the observation room, just now finding Steve's body. Knowing time was short to begin with, Edmund shut down security doors as well; steel barriers had been thrown up over the observation deck windows. "It'll take them several minutes to get here...the elevators shut off during lockdown." Rhombus nodded appreciatively. "There's so much I want to ask you..." he said, adjusting his glasses.

"There is a lot I would like to tell." A twinkle of hope entered his eyes as a red and white jack russel terrier was pulled from one of the capsules. "Tucker!" Though she had not been exposed to toxins like the wolf had, her body was weak from the experiments that had been done to her over the years, and she collapsed against her friend, gasping for air. His hopes were being smashed as soon as they had begin to blossom. So it was for consecutive capsules; if the contents weren't already dead, they were weak or dying. It was a bad time for tears, but he could not contain his grief.

"This is the last," Edmund said after a while.

Security now banged on the door. They would soon bust through, but the croc had already thought of that. Showing how great Mobian might could be, he had ripped a grate off of a nearby air duct. The healthier ones tried to help the weaker Mobians into the tube. Tucker was the last through, and bade Rhombus goodbye with a kiss, "Thanks, handsome."

He smiled as he turned to the last capsule. _Espio. _His heart wouldn't be able to take another letdown. Half of those rescued, he feared would die shortly, and the rest of them had little hope for a normal healthy life down the line. Every second, he felt his body coming closer to death. While physically, that could have been a long time off, he knew, as many Mobians tended to, that the end was near. It wasn't the suicide mission he had sent himself on; it was just a sense. Now he was getting that sense from others. This was not one he had such a sense about, though.

As the fluids drained from the capsule, and fresh air met the lungs of the lavender chameleon, he stood there on his own power before his eyes fluttered open lightly. He drew in sharp deep breaths, and calmly took in his surroundings. He had braced himself for death long ago, but aside some stiffness in what he felt was an injured arm only_moments_ ago there was no pain. He quickly realized, however, he had moved from one battle site to another. His topaz eyes quickly focused on the old reptilian. Before he could open his mouth to ask questions, he saw a GUN pin adorning his jacket. "What the... Rhombus? What is the meaning of this?!"

Edmund could not comprehend how quickly the atmosphere had changed in the room. With each Mobian that fell or fled, there had been fondness or neutrality at the Crocodile. Yet now, with only bodies surrounding him, and the sounds of a fight outside the door, the purple one had become hostile, and quickly. He had made the most profound recovery of anyone who had been uncovered. Remarkable as it was, it had also become quite frightening.

"Where is the queen?!" Espio hissed as he leapt at Rhombus, delivering a harsh kick to the old man's chest. Their fight was one sided, as Espio clearly had the upper hand in all things. He was young, extraordinarily healthy, reflexive, having keen senses, timing, speed, and stamina the crocodile simply lacked. All he had was a thick hide and brute strength, which he was holding back considerably, letting the purple one wail on him.

"I am sorry…." was about all Rhombus could say between blows, the soldiers having now entered the room. They were confused at the conflict, and even moreso at how Edmund had tried to divert them. It was quickly decided that the human had aided them, though they were going to blame the Mobians for provoking him to do it. The two combatants, however, were harder to sort through. The one was wearing a GUN Special Ops badge, and the other one was just pissed off as hell. The commander held them back at first, hoping they would finish each other off, though he was sure if the chameleon kept hopping around like a lunatic, they could easily lose sight of him. "Open fire!" he commanded, and it was so.

Rhombus' eyes widened in alarm, and he twisted himself in the air and lunged to the side, tossing Espio well away from him and the gunshots. Several things happened as he sailed through the air. First of all, he heard a cracking sound in his hip, and felt the tendons in his leg rip simultaneously. Second, he felt the bullets rip through him and his warm blood quickly come to the surface. Lastly, he felt himself impact so hard against the wall several vertebrae cracked and a sharp pain wracked his body. It was over...if he moved much, he would die. He had nothing to say; there was nothing he could say to calm the ninja's rage. Yet his final act had brought shock to his eyes. There was so much he wanted to share...so much left unsaid...but there was no time. "One more minute, Sabrina..." he muttered quietly to no one in particular. He reached to a chain around his neck and pulled off his dog tags and slid them across the floor.

Whether he wanted to or not, Espio was compelled to pick up the souvenir before looking for an escape. He reeled backward in alarm as one of the GUN soldiers ran over to the old one and put a bullet in his head. He was repulsed by the brutal humans, knowing full well what they were capable of, and that somehow his friend had been one of their people in his absence. He would have to put things together later, and it was only a natural reaction of his to blend with his scenery, which spared him from being seen while his brain sorted out what had just happened.

It was not long after that he had caught up with the others. His quick conclusion of treason by his former comrade he kept to himself as the others told of the human and Rhombus working together to free them from the capsules. It was too late to get anything from him now, but he did have his military tags. Once they were on the outside, it was apparent to him they were not in Kansas anymore. Station Square was huge, and their escape costly. Some of them had died on the way out and now the only one that remained with Espio was Tucker. She wasn't doing well, and he knew he would have to get her to a clinic or hospital and fast.

* * *

The headline in the paper the next morning read, "GUN MRF Broken into by Mobian Protestors" The rag magazine next to it told a frighteningly more accurate story "MRF Experiments on Mobians!" though the article was less accurate, talking about developing monsters within.

Espio had been uncomfortable, to say the least, to be in a primarily human city, but he stayed with Tucker at the local hospital that night at the Mobian Recovery ward. He quickly prodded staff and local papers for news on his surroundings and what had been going on. He was very good at getting the answers he wanted without giving away too much and hoped the others had better luck. The obituaries did not contain any of his friends' names except for Rhombus. It confirmed his worst fears about him, crediting him as a key player in ending the Great War some 54 years ago. Yet, not all the puzzle pieces made sense. He certainly didn't understand why a traitor would use his last breaths to defend him or allow himself to be used as a punching bag. Perhaps the years had taught him regret.

In any event, the one who could answer his questions was gone. It was then he remembered the dog tags that Rhombus had slid across to him, and he took a good look at the silver beaded identity tag. It contained the usual info, but the second tag was not military in nature. It contained a picture of a crocodile who looked a great deal like him, but not quite. Carefully peeling the picture out of its frame, he looked at the back of it. _Rex age 13..._ The other side of the tag had some numbers on it, and symbols. He recognized it as an address and decided he would soon be making a call on this "Rex" person.

After making sure Tucker was okay and being treated well, Espio left the hospital to begin his search. He was not staggered by the years that had passed, but at the enormity of the tasks ahead. Finding the Queen was no longer a top priority, as the war had ended so long ago. Now, he just needed to know the truth of what had happened after his supposed death. He would have to adapt quickly to things, and he was not quite ready to embrace a 'be kind to humans' mentality.


	6. Filling in the Gaps

Nothing was said about the incident publicly, and there were enough escapees that the government offered settlements to the project survivors to keep them hushed up. It was enough to set them up with a new life. Some were said to have been in comas all these years, while others chose to leave to Mobian cities where they wouldn't have to explain their past.

Espio made no vow of silence on the project and took no cash in turn. His compensation was education about the new world he was suddenly a part of and basic clothing and replacement weapons. Mobians were usually very cheap to clothe, the males often preferring simple gloves and shoes until after taking a mate. Negotiating for the weapons had been rather touchy, however; they would not let him have his sword back, so he opted for twin kunai and a set of shuriken. Yes, the ninja culture was now alive and well. He decided that the green and black shoes he had been given would have to go at some point, but it was enough for now.

It was not until he was well educated about the culture that he decided to pay a visit to "Rex." He lived on the outskirts of a city southwest of Station Square. Swamp Hill was aptly named; parked on a bayou, it was laced with longboats and boardwalks more than the pavement and busy streets the chameleon had just come from several hours ago. It was getting towards evening, and the cicadas were chirping loudly.

They were not the only creatures crooning, as he heard the out of tune wailing came from not far off. It was so inhumane, he would have sworn someone was trying to neuter a cat with a rusty hacksaw. Upon seeing the source of the squalling, he almost wished it was.

Taking a second glance at the photo he'd received, he looked over a young Crocodile playing air guitar and singing to the tunes pumping into his headphones. He was laid back in a small boat with a leg hanging out one side and flailing limbs coming precariously close to smacking the rim of said boat. He also matched the profile, a nice medium green with yellow belly and reddish scales running the length of his back and tail. Something about the odd manner of the reptile disarmed all of Espio's preconceived notions. Rhombus had been a very serious man, a loyal (well, that was now debatable) guardian of South's Queen and not taken to flights of fancy...this young man, though, was a complete opposite.

Taking a few steps forward, Espio made a coughing noise. The crocodile did not reply and went into a particularly intensive air guitar rift. "YAH!!!" he yelled, stretching vocal chords in ways they should never be messed with. He sprang into an upright position so fast, the ninja was caught completely off guard and wound up in the drink. "Who? What? How Huh!?" The gator, having heard the splash somehow over all that noise, looked about for the source of the splash. "Hey man, don't swallow that water if you know what's good for ya!" He reached out a hand and pulled in the purple chameleon after he sputtered and coughed up some water.

Not much was said as the gator procured a towel (a mostly clean piece of sail material) for the chameleon. At least, not much was said on Espio's part. The crocodile had taken the opportunity to poke fun at his falling into the water and explained a few stories of how people could lose limbs doing that--after all, there could be crocs or gators around! But enough of that, Swamp Hill was his home, and he gladly informed him of how the backwater village only got mail once a week, and the tap water was really bad, so you had to boil it for drinking water, and baths? Espio didn't need him to say anything there; the whole place stank. He could use a breath mint or two at that. All and all, the croc explained that he liked his home, but he really wanted to break into the music industry...

...Well, he'd break something, all right. "You seem pretty well informed about this place," Espio said when the green predator finally paused for a breath of air. "Maybe you should be a private Investigator or something..."

"Hah, maybe." He smiled toothily, "I know everyone in these parts, the who's who, the what's what. Dude, I am a walking 411."

"Nice... but I really didn't come here to--"

"Wait a second..." The croc shifted poise suddenly, and standing at his full height rather than slouched, he was notably tall for a Mobian, though average for his kind. He was lacking in physical prowess as his father once had, but... "...I don't know you, one-horn. What are you doing here?"

Espio blinked; he wasn't quite sure what he expected, but he didn't expect this. "Umm... Rex? I'm Espio...Espio the Chameleon. I was a friend of your father's."

Any expectations he might have had suddenly disintegrated as the reptilian anthro fell back on the dock rolling with laughter. "Oh man you are funny! Friend of my father? You're... HAAA!" and he was taken by another fit of laughter. After several minutes of Espio maintaining a mixed expression both serious and confused, the croc wiped a tear out of his eye and realized the Mobian wasn't joking. "Hey man, you got some identity issues if you think you knew Gramps."

"Eh?" It was all the chameleon could think to say.

"Rex is my father, so if you knew his father, that would be Grandpa Rhombus...but he passed away a few weeks ago from a heart attack or something." The crocodilian who was definitely _not_ Rex scratched his head. "Even if you did know him, you'd have to be an old man, the way to talk. You've gotta be younger than me. What are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Umm...just about sixteen. So uh...if you're not Rex, then..." Espio trailed off.

"Vector. Vector the crocodile. You looking for Pops, then I'll have to take you home. He'll probably laugh when I tell him one of Grandpa's friends is a teenager."

* * *

After a hearty dinner of something called "gumbo,"' Vector went off to his room to practice his singing. Espio was praying for some silence now, but he'd not been unwelcome in Rex's house. Rex was the spitting image of his father, much more grown up than the picture Espio had been passed in Rhombus' final moments.

"Forgive my son; he's a bit rambunctious." he said as he began to clear the table.

"Not a problem," Espio said, though he turned his head to the awful din. At times like these, he was thankful he didn't have rabbit ears or worse. "Is he even thinking of moving out on his own?"

"Yeah, probably when he has a reason to. He's not going to get out with that racket he calls music." Rex laughed. Espio was a bit more at ease with the mature adult. He noticed Rex watching him keenly all evening, and it was obvious that he knew more than his son about past events. "Don't let his carefree spirit fool you; he's a good kid, and he knows the difference between right and wrong."

Espio nodded, "Actually, that right and wrong you're referring to...I was hoping you could tell me about your father's activities toward the end of the Great War."

Silence followed, and Rex stared at Espio for a good long while. "I suppose it is ancient history at this point." He paused, "You're really _the_ Espio, then?"

"One and only."

"Well then, just stay your blades until you hear the whole story..." Rex related a long tale about how Rhombus had been captured by GUN operatives a short while before Queen Aleena's capture. Aside the expected torture tales Espio already knew quite well from personally knowing Rhombus, a sympathetic soldier had befriended him. Unbeknownst to either, their friendship had been arranged to spring a trap. After leading both to believe a larger scale invasion was planned than there actually was, and seeding plausible assassination plans for the queen, the loyal soldier Rhombus had become deathly afraid for his charge. He wouldn't eat or sleep for days on end. Of course, he was fed all this information by his friend Arnold.

The right leads and cues, and both Arnold and Rhombus danced to GUN's tune. A deal was proposed to spare both South Kingdom and its queen from being obliterated. With the information they had, Rhombus would soon swear everything he had just to protect that which he loved and believed doomed otherwise. Since he had been one of the queen's closest guards, his defection would be hidden entirely until it was too late.

Espio's blood began to boil as the betrayal took shape in his mind. He didn't need Rex to tell him that his rescue from the enemy camp had been staged; it made sense now. Espio had lead the team to recover Rhombus and other prisoners and found their escape rather easy from what he had expected; he now knew why.

It had been a long, calculated move that regretfully came to fruition. Rhombus personally handed over the queen to waiting GUN officers, and shortly begged for the lives of his friends--Espio included, to be spared. Since Espio and several others were in critical condition, GUN saw fit to transport them god-knows-where. That, as Espio filled in, was a research center. Even Rex looked sick at that.

Since the invasion wasn't as large as what had been proposed, the casualties were not as heavy as Rhombus had first thought they would be. his plan to surrender was overridden by Aleena's other generals. Though many were hoping for a death sentence, Rhombus' court martial did not include a firing squad only on the condition he keep Aleena safe from within.

GUN quickly hid Aleena from Rhombus' reach, and he spent the rest of the war trying to gain their complete trust to get her back. Through it all, his wife Sabrina had been one of the only souls who knew what had really happened and why Rhombus spent the last few months of the war actively killing Mobians. Even after the conflict had come to the end, Aleena's fate was not disclosed, and he continued in GUN's service until his retirement.

_It was GUN._ It had always been GUN. They had become the focal point of every major military conflict since it had been initialized. Espio didn't know how deep they were, but he knew he couldn't fight the organization alone. Rhombus had given his entire life to take back one thing from GUN and never fulfilled his initial desire.

"Well, that's about it. South is under a democracy now and pays taxes to Station Square like just another city. There's a memorial statue in the park to the royal family and it's pretty peaceful there. There's a human settlement, Square South, which is fast becoming the western edge of South City." It left a funny feeling in Espio's mind hearing South referred to as a City rather than a Kingdom, but he listened. "The anti-Mobian and anti-human prejudices are beginning to fade on both sides as more humans make their home in South and Mobians do likewise to Station Square. People are going to be stupid no matter what, but it's progress." Espio nodded. "What I want to know, now that you've heard the story, is what do you want?"

Espio closed his eyes and thought about it seriously. His sense of purpose had been shifting drastically since leaving his timeline. He had come from a war-torn era, as a guardian of a queen who, even if she did live, would have no kingdom to rule. Upon waking up in this new era of peace, he had found his best friend a traitor; even the slightest question of that shifted his reasoning yet again. Escape, live, help the others...find your way around this new world, and then get answers. Now he had them, and all his responsibilities had washed away. "I...don't know."

"You can stay here as long as you want," Rex offered.

With no reason to refuse, Espio nodded and shook hands with the elder crocodile. Vector belted out a particularly loud note, and for the first time in a long while, Espio laughed... Yes...he found what he wanted...a little peace.

* * *

Espio and Vector soon became friends, and surprisingly, Vector really took Espio's suggestion about private investigator to heart. He was not about to deter his friend, feeling that some day it could lead him to tie up the loose ends in his former life. Vector never knew Espio's story, but he liked hearing about South Kin--City's more peaceful locations. He said he hadn't been there in a while, so it might have changed, but that was to brace himself more than anything for a possible return to his home.

Another local to the swamp, Mighty the Armadillo became a friend of theirs, and the group was soon being referred to as the "Chaotix" for the ruckus they caused wherever they went. He wasn't interested in staying in the swamp all his life, and with stories of blue hedgehogs and fat mechanical geniuses, they had something to investigate other than stolen crawfish pots. Mighty lived up to his name, and harboring a highly competitive streak, Vector soon bulked up to try and match his muscle.

The last member of the Chaotix team, a young bee named Charmy, was found outside the PI's doors freezing in the cold one winter's night. Not recalling how he got there or where he came from, they didn't have the heart to kick him out. In gratitude, the exuberant child gave them quite more than enough gratitude. His flighty and energetic ways annoyed Vector about as much as his own actions annoyed Espio initially. He had found a family, something to protect once more, and so he resumed his ninja training.

With the inclusion of Charmy and increasingly tougher assignments, Mighty decided to call it quits with the group. They would see each other again, sure, but he had things in his life that needed closure, and Espio understood how that could be.

And so Team Chaotix came about as it is known today. Perhaps clothes changed, maybe the membership changed from its original crew, but until now, the real heart of the team had no reason to act alone. Funny how a bat calling you 'old man' can change things...


	7. Bonds of Love

For the last few weeks, Sir Charles had been acting strangely. After getting the notes he asked from Rotor, he disappeared into his once abandoned workshop every time he had a moment to spare. At first it was funny, and Sonic was relieved to see his uncle doing something he enjoyed. Not that running a restaurant was bad, but the blue hero knew Chuck's real passion was for science. He felt the "old guy" deserved a break.

"Now Sonic, he's not that much older than your father." Bernie scolded lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Sonic shrugged. His stomach grumbled, "Maaan...I know Dad makes a mean chilidog, but Uncle Chuck's the best." He had been referring to the fact Jules had been helping at the restaurant, but lacking taste buds, the Robian had found it hard at times to know if he'd followed the recipe right.

"He's busy with his project, whatever that is..." the female hedgehog with light blonde bangs said softly.

* * *

At long last, it was done. A shaky hand took hold of a mostly empty cup of ice cold coffee and brought it to his lips. _Ick._ It was nasty from having sat around so long, but the scientist had been so close to completing his project, he didn't want to sleep. He couldn't let anyone else in on the project 'til it was ready, couldn't share a bit. He'd become obsessed, and now that he could step back from it, he just might collapse instead.

Charles was a complete wreck. He had dark circles under his eyes and shook from both lack of proper nutrition and too much coffee. If Bernie hadn't been bringing him toast or juice on a somewhat regular schedule, he probably would have collapsed sooner. Sitting back in his chair catching his breath, Charles surveyed his laboratory... Plates with half eaten toast aside, there were blueprints scattered all about, miscellaneous parts, and a certain amount of blood and sweat ground into the floor.

He really was a good scientist, but the mechanical assembly he wasn't so good at. He smiled to himself in hindsight at the thought of a somewhat severely cut finger and some scrap metal. There was something altogether wrong with how shiny and pristine the deroboticizer looked. The original Robotization Unit had been very dark and ominous, perhaps reflecting Dr. Kintobor--Robotnik's tampering.

To test the device without a full subject, he had used what he called Biometal - a metal with a synthetic pattern ingrained in it like the DNA of a regular Mobian. Metals have a certain grain to their composition to begin with, but the almost alchemical process of turning flesh into metal created a peculiar molecular pattern to the metal in the created Robian. This was the number one reason a very old Robian would have a very small chance of being turned back to normal. Biometal, if reverted to normal, could also imprint surrounding metals; thus, derobotization was still viable for Robians with replacement hardware, up to a certain limit. After the limit was reached, the replacement parts would stay intact, and if it was in place of a vital organ like the heart or lungs, the results could be deadly.

Charles drew in a very tired breath as his eyes shifted in and out of focus on his creation. _It worked_, he knew it did. He just needed to finish...needed to get its subject... The light blue hedgehog attempted to stand and found it much harder than he thought. A few steps later, and he found his nose inhaling week old pizza...not pleasant. "Uhg...I think I'll just...stay here..."

* * *

"Are you okay?" A woman's voice beckoned Charles back to consciousness. For a minute, he envisioned the voice belonging to the woman in the glass he had found at a time now almost forgotten. As his vision cleared, and he could make out more than the white lights of Dr. Quack's clinic, he realized the voice belonged to his sister-in-law Bernie.

"I'm...I'm fine," he replied, still a bit groggy and bringing his hand to his forehead. An IV drop was running into his wrist, which he immediately noted when the tube smacked against him lightly. "Eh? ..."

"Fine? Yo, Unc! Get your brain checked out; Dr. Quack says you're suffering dehydration," Sonic held up one finger and pointed to it opposingly with his pointer finger. "Malnutrition," he put up a second finger and moved the pointer over it for emphasis, "and lack of sleep." The third finger went up and the pointer jumped to it quickly, "Three strikes, you're out, Unc. What gives?"

"Ahh...was it really that bad?" Chuck gave a sheepish smile.

"Yes!" Bernie scolded. "You had us all worried you wouldn't wake up; you've been unconscious for half a day now, thank God Jules found you! What on Mobius is so important that you lose... lose your sense of everything this bad? I know you've lost sleep over projects before, but this is ridiculous!""

Charles cleared his throat, "I want... to return the last Robians to normal." Chuck's voice was a bit strained as he said that and his voice sounded alien to him. The others in the room grew quiet and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Robians? But that would just be Jules..and you know why we can't..." Bernie began.

"I've...compared notes on the original model, Eggman's designs, and the Bem model. I think I can negate the 'total reversion' status." Charles' mind began to clear and his thoughts came into focus. He wouldn't have to lose sleep for long. "I really think it can work."

He saw the looks on Sonic's and Bernie's faces...to have his dad back, to have her husband back... To himself, it meant having his brother back, but also...to revive the woman he had so desperately wanted for so long. He felt old thinking about it; indeed, Sonic hadn't been born yet when he and his brother found her. But he wasn't that old when they'd found her, even if he was going gray before his time, and it was only a few short years later that he had been roboticized, ironically locked in time by his own invention. The time to redeem himself had come at last...

"We'll talk about this later. You just rest up," Bernie said and kissed Charles' forehead.

"Yeah, you're no good to anyone like this." Sonic grinned.

After a short while, a nurse came in carrying a lunch tray. She sent Bernie and Sonic on their way and stayed to make sure that Chuck ate his hospital food despite his protests to the contrary. He had disobeyed too many doctors' orders in the past, but he bade her a polite farewell after eating what had passed as food in the clinic. The apple on his tray had been the most recognizable object, with the quivering lump of lime Jell-O close behind. At least, Chuck hoped it was Jell-O. From there the gray matter more resembled its namesake than food. At any rate, he was fed and anxious.

Chuck's condition was stable enough he hadn't been put on any monitors, and he knew the IV drip was just to rehydrate him. He vowed to drink a couple gallons of water later as he picked at the IV needle. Flinching as the medical tape pulled at his fur, he eventually managed to remove it. Next, he pulled himself out of the hospital bed and went over to the cabinet for his things.

_They really don't trust me to leave well enough alone, do they?_ The light blue hedgehog thought to himself as he realized the cabinet containing his personal affects was sealed with a combination lock. The hospital gown was easily dispensed with, and even though he wore little more than gloves and shoes most of the time, he still wanted them back. Not letting his feelings pick at him for long, he put an ear close to the lock and listened for the tumblers. This was an easy task for most Mobians, especially since the lock was human made. Mobian combination locks usually entailed bits of fabric or fibers to dull the tumbler sounds. That was now a moot point; he had what he wanted.

* * *

Jules had been tidying up Charles' lab, knowing that Bernie would probably go nosing about where she wasn't welcome. To him, it was no secret that Chuck was working on a deroboticizer. Rotor knew, he knew, Tails knew... Tails had actually loaned him a lot of the parts. The main people who'd been out of the loop were actually those closest to Charles, chiefly Jules' own son Sonic and his wife Bernie. He understood why, too... If the machine failed, he would die.

Jules had pondered his life as a Robian many times...was he really alive? For all intents and purposes, he was a simulation of the Mobian from which his body had been formed. He had no flesh, no heart, nothing to bind him to the being he once was. He was a machine, easily turned on or off at the push of a button, easily swayed by the desires of others if they dare interfere with his programming. Power rings and other Chaos devices had seemingly overridden any man-made commands, giving way to the nature of the creature who had been roboticized. Personality was not something one could program or predict so easily...and for that reason "free Robians" were largely considered sentient and said to contain souls. He still wondered some times.

Looking at the sparkling white machine made something in him leap for joy. There was hope in him, an emotion he knew well in his fleshed out form. That itself was a comfort, and he longed to try it out, but knew better. at least the lab was looking better, as he set a stack of papers down on a semi-messy desk. All the food scraps were picked up and several plates of uneaten food.

"Brother?" Charles said quietly as he entered his lab.

Jules looked over quickly and would have smiled if he could. "Charles? What are you doing back so soon?"

"Got released early." He shrugged and moved to his machine. "It's done now...only two Robians are left on the planet, you know."

"Are you well enough to run that thing?" Jules wished his tone could have sounded a bit more doubtful, but his audio output was somewhat limited on stressing certain tones.

"Yes. The only question now is what do you want to do?" he said as he tapped some keys on a console, the glass chamber hissing open. The light in Charles' eyes was desperate, mad, and profoundly elated at the same time. Jules noticed that, of course, but he knew how much was at stake...and that the machine was really meant for someone else.

"I would like to live." Jules said mechanically, and made a step toward the machine. "This is like hide n' seek now...'ready or not, here I come,' isn't it? Whether I want to or not, you want me to test this machine first... You can live with killing me, but not her, right?"

Charles looked completely sick at the implications of his words, _but he was right._ "I... Jules... Brother…."

Again, he would have liked to smile. "More than anyone else, you've always blamed yourself for what Kintobor Robotnik Eggman, whatever he's calling himself these days, did to mess up your machine. Kicked yourself over the lives it ruined, even though most of them got their lives back…."

"...Except you..."

"And her..." Jules had wanted a better vocal box, but passed on it for the Biometal factor his original set contained. He'd passed on a lot of upgrades and refinements; Rotor had frequently offered him better aesthetics, but he had passed. He did it for his brother more than anything, knowing how much he wanted this device to work: the key to erasing the sins of his past. He really had no regrets about it; he just wanted to know Charles was serious. "I hope she doesn't hate you when she wakes up."

"You know how much this means to me..." Charles put in.

"Unrequited love, that's what it's about. You can pretend it's about me, but I'm just the guinea pig right now. If I die, she still has a chance, right?"

Tears formed in the scientist's eyes. "Stop that! I don't want you to die! I would have done anything to keep you safe! I love you as much as any brother can, and I won't let you..." he paused to think what to say next.

"Won't let me what?"

"...Whether she likes me or not, you have a wife and child." Charles' tone became serious and the madness left his eyes. "It...it hurts when I see you like that every bit as much as when I see _her_ still asleep in that metal carcass. Please...let's try this."

The metal Mobian embraced Charles in a hug, "I'm sorry, but I know you…. You're moving forward in a dream, and I don't want you to wake up in a nightmare. Just try to remember what's important."

"I will," Charles said firmly as he watched his brother walk into the glass chamber that he hoped dearly would not be his grave.


	8. Looking through Glass

Charles' daring escape from the clinic had been discovered quickly by the nurse who'd fed him only a short while ago. Word of it got to Bernie and Sonic, who knew exactly where he would be. Getting there was not a problem, but the sight they beheld just outside of the laboratory….

"Jules!" Bernie gasped, taking a long took at her fully Mobian love.

"Whoa…." Sonic himself stood still in shock, "Dad?"

"Yes, it's me," Jules said with a smile. He wore a bandage over one eye, but aside that he appeared to be in good health. He opened his arms wide to both Sonic and Bernie, the latter taking up his embrace.

"Aww.. but your eye..." Sonic managed to be a bit disappointed in spite of his dad's being back or hearing the cheerfulness in his tone.

"It's a lot better tradeoff than death; some wounds just can't be mended." He smiled good-naturedly at his son after kissing his wife on the top of her head.

"So what about Uncle Chuck?" Sonic looked past him at the door but found Jules guarding it somewhat.

"I'm afraid he has a last patient to use the deroboticizer on..." Jules began, leading into the story of the lady in the glass. By the time he finished the story, Bernie was in tears and Sonic was silent and thoughtful looking. "So you can see why I don't want you interfering. He needs to do this alone."

"It's like Sleeping Beauty, only the kiss is a big ol' deroboticizer," Sonic said at last, his ear twitching like he didn't quite like the sound of that. "But why can't we be there for him? I mean, like...Bunnie wanted to be deroboticized and whenever we tried, we were all there to be there for her even if it failed."

"I know, Son, but...well..." Jules scratched the back of his neck and scraped against the shorter quills in back too. "He's been carrying a torch for her since he found her..this is kind of a special moment for him."

"You're sure he will be all right?" Bernie said with some concern.

"Of course. He also promised he'd go back to the clinic after this. I have a feeling that girl's going to need it. Ahh...and while I'm thinking about it, I have my first headache all over again." He laughed and placed a hand over his missing eye. Yes, there was some pain, but he could live with it...at least he was seeing his family, hearing his family, and laughing with his family like he had always wanted.

* * *

Glass...Shadow was looking through some right now. Peering out into the darkness of space once more within his hideout on the ARK. This time, he was not alone. A purple chameleon and a white bat had accompanied him. "Have you found anything?" he asked in an even tone. He was tired of waiting, tired of being outside looking in.

"Give it time; Rouge is doing her best." Espio shrugged, having taken up a meditative state in the middle of a forward deck.

"I don't understand why you wanted her here," Shadow said. He didn't particularly like Rouge; he never had. An alarm had been sounded in Shadow's being and he couldn't shake it. The alluring female bat was definitely the source of his discomfort. She had been nothing but trouble since he met her. Her secretive and selfish ways always seemed to work against the goals the others had in mind, and Shadow did not want to be part of her flights of fancy again.

Granted, the trio assembled on the Ark right now were the world's most secretive heroes or anti-heroes, but the bat was the least trustworthy of the group. "She has a tool for hacking Ark's systems; if anyone can pull up more information about those records you found, it's her." Espio said after a while. Outwardly, he was completely calm and endlessly patient. Inside, he was also a bit anxious to leave the space colony behind and rid them of the bat. He could only guess at her _offered_ help, but he was getting the same gut feeling Shadow had.

Rouge knew how to generate suspense, how to lead people on and make them dance to her tune. Her looks had a most pleasant effect on the guardian Knuckles, and part of her still wanted to tango over the Master Emerald. She had him so caught off guard; she smiled inwardly at that. Causing friction between him and Julie-su also sparked something in her, but she knew better than to play with fire. _Pity._ Her looks had no effect on Shadow, who seemed dead to women's charms, his only hints of such humanity in his mournful reflections of Maria. Espio also failed to respond to her charms, but she chalked that up to his ninja discipline.

"Okay, Nicole, do your thing," She said softly to a handheld computer she plugged into a terminal.

_"You_do_ understand this is not a good way to make friends," _a pleasant but slightly mechanical female voice replied.

"Hey... Sally owed me one, hon," Rouge insisted.

"_Sure she did..." _Nicole replied with a distinctive attitude implied. It was rather reminiscent of Sonic, who had first activated her personality protocols.

"Don't worry, I'll have you back in her hands in a jiffy. Just get me that info on the queen and purge it from the computer's memory like we_discussed_ before we left Knothole." Rouge pleaded slightly.

"_Just keep your promises,"_ Nicole said in a humorless tone.

The bat made a face; why had she been coupled with partners who had no regard for her appearance or experience? "Oh please, I never go back on my word." Rouge knew Nicole was far more than a handheld computer. She held many secrets in her, and while the unit may have been bulky by today's standards, there seemed to be no limits to her memory or computability. This, coupled with her hacking abilities, led Rouge to commandeer her for this particular mission. On more than one occasion the machine had displayed tactical abilities, apparent intuition, and spontaneity, none of which typically attributed to mechanical devices. Because of that, Rouge knew she could only expect limited cooperation. She could only assure her that the information she would reap from the Ark's systems would be more than worth her while. Eventually Rouge watched the greenish display screen flutter with information.

_"Tell me why it is you want this information purged from the ship's computers?"_ Nicole said in a calm, relaxed voice. She may have been a machine, but she sounded entirely too real.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Rouge teased with a fanged grin.

_"I_know_ you're hiding something, Rouge. You can hide it from the others, but remember, I can measure your perspiration, heart, and breathing rate, so I know when you're lying."_ if the bat wasn't imagining things, Nicole had just used a mildly threatening and chiding tone.

Rouge laughed lightly, "You're so funny... Whatever happened to the days when computers didn't talk back?"

"_If I suspect for an instant that this information will be used in a negative way, I will be utilizing my full abilities to disable you, and don't think I can't just because I don't have hands._" The bat's mouth hung open at that; she was being openly threatened by a PC! _"And don't think I am not conscious when the console screen is closed. I am _fully _aware_."

"Okay, get it! No double cross... promise!"

Satisfied that Rouge would comply, Nicole held up her end of the bargain. Knowing the objectives Shadow and Espio wanted, she sorted through the data quickly to weed out what she deemed relevant to the situation. The data then overlapped familiar chords with other files contained within._ "I believe I have what you need_." she said at last.

* * *

The moment of truth had come at last. Again, he was viewing her in a metal and glass prison, but he would be freeing her from it shortly. When she had been roboticized, Eggman's reprogramming had left her a void shell, something Charles had shamefully hidden from the world. He never knew if she followed his orders, never knew if the chaos emeralds or rings would have given her mind back. What he did know was that the Bem had not returned her to normal, which could only mean doing so would mean her death.

Charles had negated that death for his brother. Combining technologies old and new, and improvising his own techniques, he had compensated for degenerated or unregenerate tissue. The Biometal would be able to stretch further with this technique, allowing for the healing properties he'd originally intended for the machine. Granted, the system wasn't perfect, but the fact was his brother was alive. Prosthetics could do something about the raw looking flesh where his injured eye had been, and for a moment he lingered on that negative. As Charles remembered the woman, she had a couple burn marks on her skin and some blood soaked on her; those patches might be missing some fur, but he felt confident that the skin and tissue beneath would make a full or passable recovery.

Enough thinking, though; it was a time for action. The deroboticizer hummed to life, and a glow began in the midst of the glass chamber. The light within was a calm and gentle blue-green, unlike the harsh lighting of Eggman's units. Indeed, it was a different machine, a different place, under different conditions. Nervous, still, Charles looked at the readouts carefully. Vitals were starting to be displayed, and the readings within the chamber indicated the Biometal was receding at an acceptable rate. It was the longest five minutes of Charles' life.

The machine hissed open, and the blue hedgehog was bathed in a warm golden light. He approached the chamber breathlessly. The light gave way to a pink-magenta form that inhaled her first breaths. They were sharp, deep intakes, a bit different than he had expected, but they gave proof she lived. The women then fell into his arms. Completely shocked, he reflexively put his arms around her and assured her it was all right.

Aleena had just awoken from a nightmare. Faint pains and aches reminded her of what she had _just_ been through. Her eyes had yet to open when she reached for her wounds, finding them furless but that only scar tissue and the tightness of new cells healing remained. Not yet sure she was alive and well, she finally opened her eyes, and realized for the first time that she was held in a male hedgehog's arms...a hedgehog around her age no less. "Ahh, sir…." and another thought dawned on her that she was naked aside her fur. "Oh!" She tried to push him away but stumbled helplessly under her own weight.

"Shh… Careful!" he said to her gently, supporting her, one hand around her waist. His cheeks must have been red. His throat felt dry as he searched for something more to say and his ears went back timidly. "You're...not well. Allow me to get you to a doctor...please?"

"R-right... Where am I?" She asked mutely. It was completely bizarre to her, having her consciousness jump like this. It seemed like everything was in slow motion since...since she'd realized Rhombus had betrayed her and had tried to escape...since that human told her to run... The world just now stopped, and she felt like she was falling off.

"Knothole Village. I'm Sir Charles." He smiled warmly but wondered if it was too much. He hadn't considered she might be humbled by her lack of attire. Looking at her now, up close, he could see that her hair was more violet than pink, and the eyes he so longed to gaze into were a cherry red.

"A...Aleena." Something about his kindly gaze disarmed her. At long last, she could get a little rest. Funny, considering how long she'd been asleep...but she knew Knothole was part of the Acorn Kingdom and friendly toward south. Safe in that knowledge, she increasingly shifted her weight so it relied more and more on Sir Charles until he finally took her in his arms and carried her to the clinic.


	9. Revelations

It was quiet between the two hedgehogs on their way to the clinic. Charles had offered her a robe or blanket as coverings, and she had accepted the latter. As many things as he wanted to say, he couldn't seem to find a way to bring anything up. On Aleena's end, she was tired and looking for rest. It wasn't until Charles began carrying her to their destination that she got a good look around.

Knothole was very different from the way it had been described to her. It seemed more like Mobotropolis with a few more trees and parks, and walled in by the Great Forest. Indeed, it was nothing like her expectations. What she had expected was a small treetop settlement with an underground cave system that offered emergency shelter during times of need. It was equipped to support a large number of people if needed, and it had been used to some extent in the Great War. In her mind, the War was still going on, so the sight of children playing and life going on in its usual way seemed out of place to her.

She asked a few questions about the structure of Knothole and why it was more than a hideout. Charles explained how Dr. Eggman, once known as Kintobor and head of the war ministry, had turned on them some time ago, renaming himself Robotnik, and later Eggman. A human betrayal was easy for Aleena to understand, though how he had gotten to such a high post was beyond her. She supposed he offered some way to end the war quickly. His explanation of Robotropolis and all its robotic minions quickly sealed events in her mind. Surely he had proposed a robot army to wipe out the humans, and they facilitated this until his army took over. In that case, he was just another player in the War and an evil she promised herself mentally that she would take care of as soon as she got to her kingdom.

"I'm back," Chuck said, ready for the scolding Quack would surely give him.

The doctor took a second look at the plum-haired pink hedgehog before looking back to the male hedgehog. "Well, your brother was here already; he told me to expect company." He raised a brow, but shook his head slightly.

"Her name is Aleena," Charles said with a smile.

"A-aleena...yes...all right." Quack contemplated something before turning to Chuck once more. "You need to get back to your room...I'll see to...our honored guest." He smiled warmly at Aleena. "Come on, my dear, I am Dr. Quack, the royal physician."

After Aleena was seen to and given a bed of her own in a private recovery room, Dr. Quack went back to his first patient. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" he said in a hushed tone, though they were alone in the room.

"Say what?" Chuck looked confused. "She is all right, isn't she?" a sudden fear gripped Charles that something had gone horribly wrong with the derobotization.

"_Queen Aleena_ is just fine," Quack said in a firm tone. "I'm doing some bloodwork and have inspected her wounds. It looks like she suffered from some internal injuries and laser burns, but the derobotization has dealt with that effectively. A couple other scars appear as though she's had extensive testing conducted on her, but I can't be sure of that."

"Wha...wait..._Queen_ Aleena?" Charles brown eyes grew wide as he took in the honorific. He suddenly thought of how much trouble Sonic had been having in his relationship with Princess Sally. _Princess_ Sally and Sonic had known each other since childhood and were having problems... How could he, Sir Charles, hope to compete for the affections of a queen? He felt sick and demoralized.

Quack saw the look on his face and softened a bit. "Yes, Charles. From what your brother told me, the capsule you originally found her in was from the Space Colony Ark. The Ark was finished around the end of the Great War, in which South Kingdom's Queen...Aleena...went missing." Chuck nodded, absorbing what he said. "As you know, South lost against the humans and is under rule of the elected council since the monarchy has been abolished."

"So in other words..." Charles let his mind wrap around the thought of a dethroned, misplaced queen. She would have nowhere to go, right? Maybe there was hope for his feelings, though he clung to the idea of having her a little too sharply for his usually soft mind. He didn't even know if she had any feelings about him... He now feared he would come across as some reclusive letch who'd been leering and waiting for his chance all these years and would now take advantage of her.

"Charles...please tell me you're daydreaming." Quack quirked a brow at the hedgehog's unusually dazed look. "If you're not I'm going to have to get out a needle or two."

"Aahh...I'm fine...just…thinking things over." He blushed a bit.

"Well, Jules indicated you might have some romantic feelings for her," Quack said in a fairly blunt tone.

"Aaahhh..."

"Most boys buy flowers and chocolates, you know." Quack smirked a bit and prodded his patient, "I think you went overboard building a technological device that radically alters the lives of millions. Next time, I'd go with the chocolates." he winked.

Chuck had to laugh a bit, but then sighed, "So what now?"

"Well, she's away from home, family, friends... I've contacted the palace here about our guest; they should be sending someone shortly. Whether she is still queen or not, her existence here and now is significant," Quack concluded.

"What do you mean?" Charles said after thinking about things. Of course, royalty would be separated immediately from the rest of the common herd. The royal guards would come and usher her into a safe little room, and she would have no interest in the light blue hedgehog who only spent the last 16 years or so of his life trying to save her. Scratch that--it had only been about five years; the other eleven didn't count since he himself had been a robot in that time period.

"Quit zoning on me, please," Quack pleaded. "I would like to ask you to be the one to tell her about South _City,_ if you would."

"Why me?" Chuck looked down at the flimsy hospital sheet covering him, feeling quite inadequate.

"Well, you're the first person she's interacted with here, and I know you care about her. She may actually trust you more, since I'm sure you've treated her kindly since she came to," Quack said as simply as he could.

"I will," Chuck resolved.

"Well, whenever you're ready..."

* * *

The dull hum of machinery was alive around Shadow, Rouge, and Espio. They were seated in a fairly cozy shuttle that had carried them to Ark. While Shadow used Chaos Control to travel back and forth between Mobius and the Space Colony, he didn't think he could bring the other two along without an Emerald. Rouge also didn't trust that there would be a round trip even if he could. Because of this, she had managed to provide them with a shuttle, though the prominent GUN label on it made both Shadow and Espio rather uneasy.

"So! We're headed home now." The bat grinned, showing off a fang and being as sassy as she could be.

"If you call it that." Shadow had a slight growl in his tone, "What did you find out? Tell me." It was a demand, not a request. He was growing impatient with the bat, who had insisted they wait till they were en route home before she would say more.

"Killjoy," she said under her breath. Making sure the autopilot was engaged, she joined the boys in the cargo area. The ship was meant for transporting supplies, not people.

"I'm with Shadow on this. I brought you along to get information, not keep it to yourself, so spill already," Espio said while sharpening one of his kunai. He had been quiet most of the trip, as Shadow had been.

"Fine..." Rouge said and hopped up on a crate, one leg crossed over the other and taking her usual alluring type of poise. The lack of response in the room was really eating at her. _Sheesh...I think I'm going to go harass Knuckles after this just for my ego's sake..._ "Well, as it turns out, Espio...you're a father... Congratulations!" she beamed.

Espio's muscles suddenly froze, and there was a soft clang as the kunai hit the floor. "Say_what!?_" His yellow eyes contracted to tiny dots of gold. He and Shadow looked at each other for a moment, and the unthinkable entered their minds unbidden. "Uhg! No way!"

_Priceless._ Rouge laughed heartily. "That is to say, you're the biological father of the biolizard... You were used in the experiments that lead to his creation." She wiped away a tear from her eye, she'd laughed so hard at his reaction.

"Charming…." Espio said drolly, recovering his kunai.

"Be serious!" Shadow growled again.

"None of you can take a joke! Gah...all right..." Yes, Rouge would be visiting Knuckles to pick on him later...considering their course she might even hit on Tails. Easy prey to get a reaction out of, but these boys were starting to frustrate her. "Well, Shadow...as you suspected, the female hedgehog that was on the Ark was used in the experiments that created you."

"Finally." Shadow nodded. "So...what about her? Where is she now? Who is she?"

The dark hedgehog seemed to close in on Rouge, who was now feeling a bit claustrophobic. You'd feel that way too if an intimidating black hedgehog with blood red highlights and eyes was headed your way. "Well..." Rouge started out uncomfortably, "her name is Aleena...Queen Aleena."

This came as no shock to Espio. "I knew it," he said, closing his eyes.

"Queen?" In a way, that made him a dark prince. Very fitting.

"Yes." Rouge gave Shadow a more considering look, "You're probably not very current on Mobian history, but let's say that she disappeared toward the end of a war and somehow found her way on to the Ark."

"That still doesn't answer where she is now," Shadow said in a strangely soft tone. His eyes took on a calculating look that seemed to pierce through Rouge and the wall behind her, like neither existed before him. It sent a shiver down the white bat's spine.

"Was she on the Ark when it was attacked?" Espio inquired, still seated in a meditative way on the floor.

"Yes…." Rouge replied and hopped off the crate for no other reason than to get out of Shadow's line of sight.

Shadow grimaced, "She's probably dead."

"Ah ah.. not necessarily." Rouge beamed, getting looks from both Espio and Shadow. _Finally_ a response. "Well, video footage showed that Dr. Gerald Robotnik released her from stasis when the attack started. She headed for one of the escape pods...though...she did sustain injury before it was launched."

The way she said that sounded rather grim. "That doesn't sound good...what makes you think she's alive after that?" Espio raised a brow.

"The escape pods on the Ark are designed to monitor the condition of the occupant. If vital signs are significantly different from the norm, it will automatically act as a stasis tube. That probably happened, since she was alive when she crawled into the capsule." Rouge was feeling a bit haughty now. She had the boys' attention finally, though not for the reasons she usually caught a man's eye.

"So _where is she?_" Shadow said again, his tolerance for her waning fast.

Rouge coughed, "Well, the capsule's trajectory would have placed the capsule somewhere in Boulder Bay."

Another hurtle, an angry fist denting the ship's floor, Shadow's quills bristled with pent up rage, of which he was in no short supply. "That information is_useless!_ Where is she_now_?"

"Ahh...I was getting to it…." Rouge gulped.

"Shadow...let her speak," Espio said calmly. "I'm going to make sure we're still pointed in the right direction after that impact. Try not to kill her." He said and slipped into the cockpit.

Shadow calmed and folded his arms over the white tuft of fur on his chest. "So what makes you think she's still alive? And more importantly _where is she?"_ He gritted his teeth a bit as he spat out the last sentence.

"Well...with the information _I've_ recovered..." Rouge gasped as a sudden jolt bolted through her thigh. _Nicole!_ "Err...what Nicole and I--" Another zap. "Ow! Quit doing that!" Shadow looked a bit awkward as Rouge swore at seemingly nobody but was visibly reacting to pain. An ear twitched lightly, but the hedgehog didn't even ask what was going on. He only hoped it would end soon before he desired to add to her pain. "I told you to stop it, you blasted computer!" Rouge said after finally unclipping Nicole from the side of her right boot and unfolding the unit.

It didn't take Shadow long to deduce who was actually in charge. "_I won't let you take credit for _my_ work, Rouge,"_ Nicole chimed. A small holographic projection of a female lynx wrapped in a purple dress appeared, standing on the middle of the computer's keys. She bowed lightly. "_Forgive my intrusiveness, Shadow. I think I may be of more assistance."_ She paused and waited for Shadow to nod before she continued. "_I have reason to believe Queen Aleena is still alive. I am a handheld computer unit that was, until Rouge so kindly kidnapped me, in the care of Princess Sally of the Acorn Kingdom. I'm afraid we haven't had many chances to talk, but I know all about you."_

"Everybody does, it seems." Shadow shrugged. "Go on."

_"Thank you. Well, I have accessed Dr. Eggman's computers on numerous occasions, as well as other networks. Correlating the data input from the Ark with preexisting files, it appears that Queen Aleena was roboticized. The system that records robotization records interprets the name of the Robian numerically, whether the user knows the name of the Mobian or not. Her name, therefore, is in the earliest robotization files, predating Eggman's betrayal. That leads me to believe she was also the first to be roboticized."_

Espio came back into the room, overhearing what Nicole had said. "So then, she should actually be alive...since the Bem incident."

_"I was getting to tha,."_ Nicole said and politely bowed to Espio. "_Good to see you again." S_he smiled. "_As you may or may not know, not all Robians were returned to normal when the Bem reversed the robotization process on a large scale. Those who were roboticized while mortally wounded were left as Robians. Sonic's father is the only case I've known of, but considering the damage Queen Aleena took, it would be understandable."_

"So the queen is a robot if she's still around." Espio sat down on the crate, looking more like the Thinker than a ninja.

"_Possibly..."_Rouge kept her tongue still during all this to avoid another nasty electric shock. "_I believe I know where Queen Aleena is, based on the data given. Recently, Sir Charles has requested information on derobotization."_

_"_But that could be for his brother." Espio cross-examined the computer.

"_Perhaps. While it is well known that Uncle Chuck laments his having created the roboticizer in the first place, and that his brother is yet a machine, I do not believe he is constructing a deroboticizer for his brother. I believe he is doing it for the Queen."_

"Why would he do that?" Shadow was positively perplexed.

"_I believe he loves her. I am making quite a few assumptions, but I think it fits. If her wounds were dire enough that Bem technology didn't retrieve her, then Queen Aleena has been in critical condition for roughly 15 years. Sir Charles began work on the roboticizer around that time, and he's dabbling with it again now, after all these years. I don't think his brother's condition is the prompt. It is quite possible that he has fallen in love with her, despite not knowing her name or being able to interact."_

Shadow marveled at the computer for a minute and walked up closer, taking the machine from the bat's hand. "How could you possibly make a connection like that? Love? You're a machine."

_"I am aware of what I am,"_ Nicole said softly. "_Why are you looking for Aleena?"_

Why was he? Shadow stopped to think. "I don't know...I just have to."

_"I think you want to prove something."_ Shadow and the others were silent. "_I think you want to prove that there is more than just alien DNA coursing through your veins. You want to be normal…. You want to feel like you are more than the sum of your parts."_

How could she know what Shadow was feeling? He looked at her in silent shock as the words sank in. "How...?"

"_It is something I struggle with all the time. I am a machine; I am not alive, yet I exist. Can I be considered _alive?_ I am more than the sum of my parts. I know you are too."_ With that, the holographic display faded and the glow from the monitor cast an emerald glow on those within the craft.


	10. Getting to Know You

"...I know it's a lot to take in," Charles finished, seated next to Aleena's bedside. She had allowed him to take one of her hands in his, and he stroked her delicate fingers lightly.

The magenta hedgehog brushed some loose purple quills from her face. She had listened to Chuck relate the past events quietly and now held a rather somber expression. There was a certain shock to her system, as sharp as it had been going from battlefield to battlefield and finally peace._Peace_... "My kingdom...gone…." she said at last in a quiet breath.

"Yes and no…." Charles tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Because tensions were so high between the humans and the Mobians, Station Square's government took steps to ensure there was a local elected government to rule over them."

"Mobians?" Aleena said in a cynical tone. Almost all her encounters with humans had negative connotations. She didn't think the humans could have much mercy in their hearts, but it had been a human who ushered her to an escape capsule on the Ark.

"Mobians...and a few humans. It was determined that at least one human should be on a council." Chuck sighed; he could tell the news was not welcome, and so in turn, he felt he was unwelcome. "Your people actually wanted you to be on the council, so the royal family could maintain some influence on the kingdom but for your disappearance. I'm not saying it was easy...there was a lot of violence against the human military that remained to enforce their rule. You were well loved, and that was another source of tension...but it's been two generations since. Times have changed...there are human populations growing in Mobian territories and vice versa."

"So you're saying there's less...animosity now?" Aleena gave a resigned sigh. She could not go and alter the past...but her people…. She dearly wished to return to them, but as a ruler that did not seem possible.

"Yes. And...well...I know...it's not a kingdom anymore, but South Ci…South is very prosperous," he assured her.

"This is all so much..." Aleena shook her head and pulled her hand away from Charles, sighing softly.

"The royals are here," the nurse said calmly at the door as Princess Sally and her brother Elias entered.

"Your Majesty." Elias bowed to Aleena, and Charles decided to withdraw himself from the room. Sally stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder and directing him to a chair on the side of the room.

"I'm afraid I'm not royalty anymore," Aleena said with her hands clasped together and head down.

"The Acorn royalty was ever an ally of South, m'lady; it would be a dishonor to treat you as less than your title demands," Elias said after some consideration.

"We know you've awoken to some strange circumstances, but we'll do what we can to help you," Sally added.

Aleena nodded, "I'm not really sure what you can do. The kingdom isn't mine..." There was a kind of sadness in her eyes. Having been raised to love her kingdom and her people, after all their sacrifices in the war...it had all counted for nothing.

"You can stay with us in the palace," Sally offered without hesitation.

"The palace at South still stands; we may be able to arrange your reinstatement as a political figurehead, if not the power the monarchy formerly had," Elias put in. "Our government here in Knothole has been changing lately. The people want a say in how their lives run, and we've been setting up a similar council to the one in South."

"One where there's a ruler on the council?" Aleena queried. "Charles here just finished telling me about current events."

"Yes," the squirrel nodded. "I know it seems like a slap in the face after all you've been through...but..."

"...For my people's sake, I would rather disappear into legend," Aleena cut him off. She still looked rather sad but spoke with an even tone. "They have gotten on without me for over fifty years. If they have found happiness, then who am I to stand against them? As long as there is wisdom in the officials they have selected to guide them, I see no reason the kingdom...the people should not carry on. I'm sure any inquiry to my sudden existence would be met with harsh criticism on both sides. I have been away too long. There will be those who question if I am who I say, and from what Charles indicated, I may be part of things that the current ruling factor would not want come to light."

Sally frowned a bit but had to agree with Aleena's logic. "I personally would like to know the truth..." Her quizzical nature was against leaving Pandora's box open without investigating its contents fully. She wished that Nicole was there with her; she might have some insights to share, but she had been stolen a week ago.

"I would too, but I think it would be dangerous to pursue things beyond what has already been recovered," the dethroned queen said with resignation at her position.

"The offer is still good..." Elias wavered, "staying at the palace, that is."

"She can stay with me," Chuck finally spoke up, and all eyes in the room were on him. He cleared his throat and felt his face turn beat red. "...I…." he looked over at Aleena and then down at the floor. "If you'd do me the honors, ma'am...I..."

Aleena finally got a good look at Charles. On the way to the clinic she had only half her focus, and while he told her the story of her kingdom, she had looked anywhere but at him. He appeared very kindly with his light blue fur and his prematurely graying eyebrows. His eyes were brown and full of sincerity, and the blush on his face... "It is a bold move to ask a lady to move in with you, sir." Aleena mused for a minute that she might not simply turn him down. "Why should I?"

"Well...you have no good reason... You don't know me... but..." Chuck clenched his hands into fists, trying to muster up the courage to say things. He had meant to back in the privacy of the lab, not in a hospital room with onlookers, but he drew in a breath and the words came out, "my brother and I found you in a capsule...and I was moved by you even back then. You were asleep and seemed in pain, and all I could think of was helping ease your pain. Please don't think ill of me for keeping you a secret…. I didn't know anything about you but that it was likely GUN was responsible for your condition..." He had explained about the Ark already, so she knew what he was saying. "I've...watched over you every chance I've had. I'm not a fighter, but I've kept you safe the best I could…. Every time I see you, something in me wants to hold on tight and never let go…I...I've admired you from afar...now I'd like to see...to know who you are and what you're really like."

There was a strange and uncomfortable silence over the room. It was tense, but somehow relaxed. Charles had been holding those feelings bottled up for years, and he was glad his nephew Sonic wasn't around for this emotional turning point. He dared a glance at Aleena, who was reeling now from two bombshells on her life. He was expecting the worst, and his heart beat like a drum; this was his moment of truth.

"I would like…to know my hero, I think," Aleena said after a good long while. It seemed everyone took a breath at that point and Chuck's stare was unbelieving. "I don't know that it would be proper to live with you, but if something could be arranged nearby?"

"Ohh...of course," Sally said quickly, "My old hut is available; it's quite comfortable," she offered.

"But why a house than the palace?" Elias was slightly confused. He had expected Aleena to be of very proper royal character, accustomed to palaces and unwilling toward less.

She smiled good-naturedly, "If I am a commoner now, it's hardly proper to leach off another royal's living, is it? I could not take advantage of your hospitality for very long anyway." She turned to Chuck, whose mouth hung open. "Since I don't know much about life on the outside, I expect you to be a good teacher, and a gentleman. Will you?"

"I will..." He breathed the reply faintly. It was not...romantic...but she had not ripped his feelings to shreds either. There was a slightly wanting look in her eyes; maybe there was something there….

* * *

The new guest in Knothole wasn't given more than a second glance by the locals. They were used to people coming and going, and with how displaced most of the residents were already from Eggman's interference, her apparent lack of history phased none. A few residents who had moved to Knothole from South did mention her looking familiar, but then shrugged it off. Only a handful of people knew who she really was, Sonic, Amy, and Tails included.

Amy had been instrumental in catering to her feminine side, showing her the latest fashion trends and helping her pick out a new wardrobe. Her old flowing gowns were long gone, and the new fashions seemed horribly short and revealing. Eventually Aleena settled on a white V-neck shirt with baggy tapered sleeves and a green-trimmed skirt that stopped just above her knees. For jewelry, she chose a thin gold tiara-like headband set with a pink jewel in its center. Amy approved of the new look and introduced her to Knothole's ten most romantic spots and best restaurants, indicating some would be better suited for couples.

Sally had been a wealth of political and social information, though she was such a tomboy Aleena had to say something about her choice of dress. Boots and an open vest? She was surprised that more men hadn't tried to claim her. She usually came along with Bunnie Rabbot, whose southern charm made her feel completely at home. Bunnie, aside her combat skills, knew a lot about cooking, and tried to help Aleena out with adapting to a more domestic environment.

Charles had not been ignored in the slightest during this time. His initial crush and fully smitten look had begun to fade the more he talked with Aleena. Her dedication to her people and personal stories about the war and being behind the scenes in it led him to relate his own time spent as a spy within Eggman's ranks. She had an interest in how far technology had come since her time, and he was the perfect person to explain things to her.

There was definitely friendship blooming between them, and every day they seemed to spend more and more time together. A big step was going to one of Amy's recommended restaurants, though that could have turned out better. Queen Aleena was no stranger to escargot, but she had to laugh as a nauseated Chuck left for the bathroom fully embarrassed. Following that disaster, they had taken a walk under the moonlight to the ring pool. That went much better, and he was glad to hear her assurances that he'd not done anything wrong. Eventually it led to Aleena spending a night over at Chuck's one evening. He had rented a couple movies for them to watch and ordered pizza, which Aleena really enjoyed. After the pizza and two liters of cola were gone, Aleena was full and sleepy and nestled against her cornflower blue admirer. She'd fallen asleep on him in the middle of one of the movies, and unwilling to spoil the moment, he left her that way til' the DVD went back to its title screen, jarring them both awake. It was decided it was too late to march home, and she slept on his bed while he took the couch. That's what they said, anyhow.

* * *

The weather couldn't have been more perfect; it was a gorgeous day in mid summer, and Charles and Aleena had decided to have a picnic. There was an ulterior motive for it, but for now it was friendly. A typical red plaid tablecloth had been sacrificed to act as the groundwork for the picnic, with a basket full of food seated on top of it. A slight breeze was blowing, taking the edge off the heat of the sun, and bringing with it a strong scent of lilacs from somewhere nearby.

"Mmmm, I love the smell of lilacs." Aleena smiled as she inhaled the fresh air. She sat on the blanket and started bringing out the contents of the basket. She hoped inwardly that Chuck would like the dessert she brought; she made it herself. Looking at the half-collapsed pie, though, she hid it in a corner of the basket, embarrassed to have brought it along at all. _I'm not a cook..._

"Mm... something smells good," Chuck commented as he took a seat next to her.

"Must be the lilacs." She blushed lightly.

"No, I think it's something else...well...shall we?" he said, motioning to the food she'd brought.

It was a very pleasant afternoon, and the food was soon consumed. "Mm...all we need now is some dessert…." Chuck commented, lightly resting his head against hers, the two propped against each other in a very touching scene.

"Ahh..." Aleena looked over at the basket and wondered if she should say anything. At last she made up her mind. "Actually...I did bring something. I made some pecan pie."

"Really?" Chuck lit up, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I... think I messed it up... It looks too dark...and part of the crust is burnt...and it's lop-sided…." she replied, feeling more inadequate as she described everything she felt was wrong with it.

Charles twitched an ear as he took in what she said, but reached for the basket happily. "I don't believe it's that bad," he said and earned a smile from her. He was really enjoying her smiles...especially when he was the cause of them. "Here we are...hmm...smells good to me." Aleena chuckled and sighed in relief as he went about eating her homemade pie. She quizzed him relentlessly over whether he was faking liking it or not, but he assured her it wasn't a joke.

As the date came to a close, the wind began to shift. Chuck had began cleaning up the area while Aleena decided to inspect the lilacs firsthand. Humming to herself lightly, she never expected what came next.

A sudden breeze was her only warning as suddenly a hand grasped her slender wrist forcefully causing her to drop the lilac branches she'd just picked. A startled shriek left her but only for a moment before the assailant's free hand clasped over her mouth. "Are you Aleena?" A dark hedgehog with red streaks in his quills was staring her down. His blood red eyes stared at her with such intensity she was gripped by fear.

"**Shadow!**" a deep female voice called behind him, "You're not supposed to do that!"

"Rrr... Both of you put a sock in it. I'm tired of this!" another male voice sounded, this one belonging to a Espio. He saw a shocked Sir Charles alerted by the commotion coming into view but decided the situation called for a little privacy, and Chuck wasn't included on the invite. The ninja threw several stars at Chuck's feet as the warning, finding the hedgehog surprisingly insistent on crashing the party. "Stay out of this if you know what's good for you!" He only hoped Shadow wouldn't do something rash.

"Damn it, Shadow! I can see Sonic heading our way!" the bat said while looking through a pair of special binoculars.

A slight snarl to his companions, Shadow turned his attention back to the hedgehog he was clutching. "Well?" She didn't respond, frozen in fear, and Shadow heaved a sigh. "I'm not going to hurt you, lady. Just tell me, you're Aleena, right?" But his narrowing his eyes didn't help his case much, or his holding his hand over her mouth. Aleena nodded slightly and tried to break away from Shadow, who instead scooped her up in his arms. "_All right, let's go!"_ Shadow commanded and started taking off with her firmly in his grip.

"You didn't have to be so rough!" Rouge called after him. She actually didn't take long to catch up as a blue blur passed her and cut Shadow off.

"Whoa whoa, where's the fire, faker?!" said a familiar blue hedgehog with emerald eyes.

Shadow growled with his reply. "I don't have time to waste on you...Rouge!" Even as he skidded to a halt, he tossed the very confused hedgehog woman to the waiting bat who swooped in and carried her off.

"Hey! That's rude!" Sonic began, finding himself blocked by the black hedgehog. "Rrr... Come on man, what gives? Kidnapping ain't your thing!"

Rouge couldn't believe her luck; for now, she was making a getaway with the prize. "Come on, Queeny...you and I have things to discuss…."


	11. Shock and Awe

"Why won't you quit?!" Espio said with obvious irritation as he utilized the last of his throwing stars. He really didn't want to hurt Charles, but Rouge was getting away...

The older hedgehog had, in turn, backed away from the shurikens only to advance whenever he dared, and now even plucked them from the ground and threw them back at their owner. He didn't have very good aim or power with them, but he was certainly making an effort. "I can't!" he breathed heavily, advancing on the purple chameleon, "I promised I'd protect her...!!" His brown eyes took on a burning element as he closed the gap between him and the queen's former guardian.

"What?! _Why?_" Espio couldn't believe Uncle Chuck, the chili dog king, was giving him this much trouble. He wasn't backing off or retreating nearly enough, and his used supply of stars meant he would soon be in close combat range. Espio considered things for a moment, trying to guess how far away Rouge was heading and how fast...

"I love her!" Charles bellowed, stunning Espio so much by that confession that he was soon clubbed to the ground by the hedgehog.

"Gah!" the spy grunted as he hit the ground. Chuck was already starting to take off, but he caught his wrist. "...Wait!" Espio said, glancing at the hedgehog who was now very much like his nephew, unwilling to do that. "..If you want to protect her...then we have the same goal."

* * *

"Sorry about that, Queeny," Rouge said when they were a safe distance away from the village.

"I...I'm not a queen. Who are you!? What do you want with me?" Aleena said, her shock just starting to wear off, until Rouge fitted her with a pair of silver handcuffs.

"Not a Queen? Don't play with me; Espio identified you as Queen Aleena," Rouge said with a smile.

_Espio? Has he betrayed me too?!_ "I...but…." Aleena was at a loss for words.

"Just sit tight, I have to make sure we weren't followed...and don't worry about Espio...he didn't betray you," The bat said in an airy tone. She was now in control of things and enjoying the situation immensely.

"Hold up!" Aleena said, her head spinning from the brief series of events. "Who are you...how do you know who I am, and what do you know about Espio...? For that matter, how is he even here?"

"Ahh.." Rouge gave a lengthy sigh and continued her cat-who-ate-the-canary grin. "I am Rouge the Bat, treasure hunter, jewel thief, spy, and sometimes government agent. I know who you are because of my employers... As for Espio...he was useful in finding you."

"Rouge... eh? Well..I think I can make a couple conclusions…." Aleena said a bit more boldly. "You're going to hold me for ransom, and you tricked poor Espio into helping you..."

"Mmmhmm...right on both accounts. Espio really wanted to know of your well being...it was actually his appearance that alerted my employers about you. A queen is still worth a queen's ransom, you know."

"So you're going to sell me to the highest bidder, is that it?" She said, eyes narrowed.

"Ahh...certain parties are interested in your well being." She shrugged, "Some more than others...GUN would like to erase you from the history books. South's government has been searching for you for a long time...and I don't know how much you understand about what you've been through… I was hired by those who want you silenced. You're lucky I don't hand you over outright." she said with a fanged grin. "At least this way you have a chance."

"So this is just about the money for you?" Aleena shot back darkly.

"Money? Pfft... I'm in it for the loot... but I do hope the right party purchases you. I'm not particularly fond of bloodshed. But just imagine how many jewels I could be rolling in... with a queen's ransom!" She had a joyful tone as she envisioned a sea of sparkly gems before her. It was particularly rewarding after being shunned by her temporary partners, and she was reveling in her own triumph.

Aleena looked at her in disgust, but then remembered the one with the piercing eyes. "But what about that black hedgehog? You were working with him too; where is he?"

"Ohh Shadow...? Well... I hadn't actually planned on him getting involved…. Blue boy actually provided a good distraction. I figured I could handle Espio, but him and Shadow?" She chuckled. The look Aleena was giving her was not amused, so she took in a breath to explain, "..If you absolutely _must_ know, however..." She looked over the queen now, knowing she was looking for a way out. "…he's your son."

* * *

"Why are you here?" Shadow said as he launched into a homing attack, which Sonic quickly countered with one of his own.

As the two broke apart, Sonic replied with his usual cocky tone, "Thought I smelled a something funny; maybe you should take a bath now and then!"

Shadow growled and launched himself at Sonic the moment his feet had traction. "I could say the same about you!"

"It's not like you to hit on older women... Not an Amy fan?" Sonic ducked under the speeding black bullet and went into a spin dash after him.

"That one's your problem!" Shadow seemed more irritated than usual, another growl issuing from him as he did a counter-spin to block Sonic's efforts. The two flew apart once more, and Shadow and Sonic continued their dangerous ballet through the forest.

"Right, I forgot you were still hung up on that human! Silly me!" Sonic went for a different approach, slicing through an overhanging branch ahead of Shadow only for him to splinter it in a particularly enraged spin.

"_Don't you __**dare**__ talk about Maria like that!"_ he continued his momentum, seeming to speed up.

Sonic barely had time to dodge but managed well enough, now finding himself on the run. _Man, that fired him up waaay too much!_ "Sorry, Shadow!" He actually meant it this time as he was forced to leap away from the black projectile. He would hit the ground spinning and leap right back at Sonic...and he was gaining. Fortunately, Sonic knew the terrain better, but that was his only edge right now. "What_is_ your problem!?" Sonic didn't usually resort to more than fisticuffs, but tore off a chunk of bark from a nearby tree and lobbed it at his dark pursuer.

"_You're_ my problem! You're _always_ getting in the way!" he snarled, grabbing the wooden projectile. "Why can't you guys just leave me alone?!"

"Why can't you just chill?"

"Why don't you?" Shadow retorted, sending the projectile back at Sonic, knocking him face forward into the turf. He loomed over Sonic victorious, watching the blue one rub the back of his head.

"Shadow! Wait!" a ninja star cut in between him and the defeated.

"Eh...? Espio?"

* * *

Tails had been working with Rotor, a portly purple walrus, on the latest modifications to the X Tornado. It was his pride and joy, but the orange fox was suddenly roused from his work by a bleeping noise coming from his computer. His ear turned toward the source of the sound, assuming it was just an instant message, but a couple more persistent sounds brought him out from underneath the plane.

"Either someone's spamming you, or you have a video call," Rotor chuckled, tightening a couple of loose bolts.

Tails sighed and rubbed some sweat off his brow, grease rubbing off in the process as well. "Right...I wonder who it could be; you're usually the only one who calls…." It was true that Knothole's greatest minds tended to flock together. Tails and Rotor just happened to be top of the line. Picking up a mild bounce in his step, Tails went over to the flashing computer screen and accepted the video call.

"_Tails?"_ came a familiar female voice as the face of a Lynx came into view.

"Eh..? Nicole? Where have you been?" Tails blinked in amazement, recalling that she'd gone missing recently.

"_Rouge abducted me, and now she's abducted Queen Aleena. I'll give you the details; you have a GPS unit I can upload my signal to?"_ she said in a calm tone.

Tails nodded in understanding. "Hey, Rotor! Looks like we'll have to finish the plane later! Grab my cell phone!"

* * *

"Rouge has betrayed us," Espio said as he approached the two hedgehogs. He was followed by Charles and had already explained things to him briefly. "I knew this would happen. She was interested in Aleena because she knew she was a queen...it's safe to assume she isn't at the meeting point."

It was hard to say what Shadow was thinking. It did give Sonic a chance to recover, though, and return the favor, knocking Shadow onto the ground. "Betrayed by Rouge? Not surprised. Even more bad judgment, pal."

"You never did tell me what she wanted…." he said, getting to his feet and glaring at his blue rival.

"Depends on who she's working for, but you can bet it's a lot of jewels for her either way." Espio was perfectly serious. "Since I've been awake, I knew the surge of Great War veterans appearing would bring up questions Station Square didn't necessarily want answered. What GUN and Station Square want is silence...South…closure."

"So how do we find the bat now?" Shadow tapped a foot impatiently, mirroring the actions usually displayed by Sonic, who was smirking at that sight.

"I don't know...she wasn't wearing that awful perfume she usually wears, so I can't trace her scent...and her power of flight puts us at a disadvantage for tracking." Espio's brow furrowed into a deep scowl.

"We have to find Aleena fast, before Rouge turns her over..." Chuck said at last. He'd been watching quietly.

Sonic made a face as he looked at the tense faces all around. Chuck's was the easiest to decipher, knowing that he had the hots for Aleena. Espio shared a similar but slightly detached look, the kind of concern Antoine had whenever Sally entered the fray now that he'd gotten over his crush. Shadow's face expressing concern, though, was probably the most disconcerting. He just...didn't express himself right. "Hey...Shadow...umm...what's Aleena to you?" he asked finally.

Shadow's crimson eyes darted over to Sonic, though he made no other movements. His gaze was so fierce that it was the only thing most people could focus on, so his words acted like ideas implanted in your mind rather than a verbal exchange. "She is...my mother."


	12. The Rescue

_Mother..._ Shadow mulled over the word as soon as it had rolled off his tongue. It was a word that had been quite meaningless to him until recently. Somehow, just knowing another Hedgehog had been on the ARK caused a shift in his mentality. At first he thought he just wanted the company of someone else who'd been in his world before... but it became a hunt for a person... and an ideal. She was more than a DNA donor to him now, and the news that Rouge had likely betrayed them sent an angered shiver through his quills.

Peeling him away from his introverted moment, the much more extroverted Sonic piped up, "Whoa whoa... you mean the gal Unc's been hitting on is Shadow's mom? Dude, we could be cousins!"

"Wh-what?" Shadow gave his rival an incredulous glare. _Cousin?_ He had not entertained the possibility of extended family, certainly not Sonic's family.

"Sonic..." Charles had a slightly scolding tone. "We... just have to go after her." His tone softened as he spoke.

"Knowing where to look would help." Espio began, looking at the bruised and broken trees Shadow and Sonic had left behind them which was a clear trail back to their starting point. Without anyone objecting, he'd become the temporary leader.

"So... she's your... mother?" Charles said as they walked back to the starting point.

"...Yeah... I guess." Shadow replied, making a small motion with his hand as if brushing it off.

It was fairly quiet on the walk back aside the rustle of footsteps, and Chuck felt compelled to probe Shadow for a little more information. "You guess? But... how?"

Shadow's eyes darted over to the older hedgehog, with the same piercing stare he had given Aleena. Chuck was ready for him though, and something in his dark brown eyes caused him to relax. "Yeah... I saw her listed in some records on the Ark..." _He's nothing like Sonic_, Shadow thought with some relief.

"...So you figured she might be your mom?" The atmosphere was just a bit uncomfortable despite the beauty of the day.

"I... Don't know what I thought... I just latched onto it." Shadow found himself admitting out loud. Yeah, he was nothing like Sonic... he actually didn't mind answering Charles' Questions. "..Well... you don't get this," he held up his hand and clutched at the air, his eyes looking somewhat fascinated by their movement, "with just alien DNA as a template."

Chuck nodded, "True... So... She didn't actually _bear _you, just... donated the genetic material?"

"No." he replied, sounding strangely irritated. "She didn't."

There was some relief in Charles' mind, his stating Aleena to be his mother conjured up a few unpleasant images for him. The Lady in Glass had kept her pure reputation, and he couldn't help smiling a bit. He noted Shadow's expression however, he seemed... lost somehow. It was understandable though, he'd been trying to cobble together something that resembled a normal life, having come from circumstances that were anything but normal. There was concern too... and he guessed rightly that Aleena represented more than DNA to him. "Ahh... Shadow... there's more to family than biology." he offered. The black and red hedgehog remained quiet. "Sonic and Tails are good as brothers, and you know that's not genetics."

"I hadn't thought about that." He said in a calm but quiet tone. Just watching Sonic with his completely carefree attitude just rubbed him the wrong way. Everything came easily to Sonic... _He_ had Family. _He_ had friends. _He_ was famous. _He_ was a hero._He_ had people who cared about _him_. _He_ wasn't some evil mutant alien-spawn that _nobody_ gave a crap about. _He_ didn't inspire fear when he walked out in public... the list went on.

"Shadow? ... You're shaking, are you all right?"

"...Fine" he said instantly, Charles' small measure of concern shaking the loops his mind was spiraling dangerously into.

As they returned to the clearing, Tails was heading onto the scene with a cellphone in one hand and a headset connected to it. "Yeah Nicole, I got your signal loud and clear. Ahh! Looks like they came back like you said they would." The young vulpine waved to them and greeted the group cheerily. Neither Shadow nor Espio had to ask who Nicole was, but how she was communicating via a cellphone was beyond them.

"Hey Bro! What got you mixed up in all this?" Sonic said while he laid a noogie on his 'little bro.' Shadow was partly sickened by the display, but had to envy the close relationship. He had no one with whom he connected... except Maria, and she was long gone.

"Blame that one on Nicole!" the orange fox managed to push Sonic's arm away and get out of the grip. "I think maybe I should let her speak." He said and unhooked the headset, turning the cell on speaker.

_"Thank you Tails. How has Sally been without me?" _Nicole's familiar soft tones came through the phone.

"Good. She really misses ya' though." Sonic said, idly scratching an ear. "So what's the scoop?"

"_Ahh yes... Sorry to get side tracked. Anyhow... I was abducted by Rouge the Bat in order to secure information on Queen Aleena. My cross-referencing abilities allowed me to follow her movements from the ARK to Knothole. Incidentally, she had me erase the data concerning Aleena on the ARK" _The machine let a moment go before continuing. "_Right now, she's told Aleena that she plans to fork her over to the highest bidder." _Shadow gave an angered growl. "_No need to worry Shadow, I can take her out on my own, and since she has me with her, I'm more than capable of tracking her whereabouts."_

"So, why the long radio-silence Nic?" Sonic tapped his foot briskly on the ground.

"_Sorry. I really wanted to find out what Rouge was up to. Now I know."_

"No prob. We were just worried ol' Egghead got ahold of you or something. So... point us in Rouge's direction, and we'll go ass kickin!" Sonic beamed.

_"I'm afraid not. I think it best only two or three of you go at most."_

"Eh?" Sonic blinked in surprise. "But why?"

_"It's not _your_ place this time Sonic."_ Nicole's tone bordering on laughter. _"No, I think it would be better if only those directly involved are present. Charles? Espio? I suggest you two round up the culprit. Shadow..."_

"Eh?" The dark hedgehog mirrored Sonic's tone.

"_Aleena will be back in Knothole shortly, I think you should wait there. Sonic and the others can show you to Charles' place." _The voice was starting to sound a bit staticy, but Nicole's tone was almost motherly. She seemed one step ahead of everyone's questions as well. "_Think about what you'll say to her, Shadow. She is your mother... you know what you want, don't force things."_

* * *

It wasn't hard to understand why Chuck and Espio were chosen to retrieve the Queen. Espio had once upon a time failed to protect her and this was a second chance. For Chuck, it was simply how strongly he felt about her. Nicole had her own logic though, and nobody could say it was mechanical or predictable. Exing Sonic out of the rescue effort wasn't hard to imagine, between him and Shadow, Rouge wouldn't stand a chance. Leaving Shadow out of things though, was something else entirely.

Nicole was quite pleased with the arrangements. After what seemed an eternity of service to Princess Sally, the portable pc had broken any molds she was made of and acted as a pure individual. She was no longer an electronic diary, or data reference sheet, and she was given the same level of trust as any other freedom fighter. While Shadow and Espio may have found it odd, Sonic and Tails were more than happy to comply with Nicole's orders.

Sonic's real task was getting Shadow to comply. He was still mentally torn enough, that he couldn't decide what he wanted to do, and followed the blue hedgehog willingly. Listening to Sonic on the way back however... did not rate on his list of favorites. Tails said something about Nicole having wifi ability or something... Sonic made some comment about how cool she is... Somehow he managed to back his mind off and study Sonic and Tails more as an observer... an _alien_ observer fascinated with Mobian customs.

There was an inward sigh as Shadow realized he still failed to be normal in whatever he did. Was his alien parentage going to ruin the rest of his life? _You are better than the sum of your parts..._ that's what Nicole had said. He wanted to believe... he just didn't know if he could. Quietly he watched Sonic and Tails while he pondered these things. It was very hard to miss their bonds of friendship, though Shadow had long ago blotted out the sound of their chattering. For now though, all Shadow could do was watch and wait.

* * *

"_You are going the wrong way,"_ Nicole's soothing voice issued after walking through the woods with Rouge and Aleena for a while.

"Eh? Wrong way?" Rouge shot back, doubtful. She had forgotten for a while that Nicole was clipped to the side of her boot. She didn't think she was going the wrong way, though, regardless that she hadn't been in the Great Forest very often. "Hey, what do you say, _Queeny?_ You've been here before, haven't you? We're heading out, right?"

"Ah..." Aleena had been quiet, thinking about what to do. She shuffled her feet on the ground as she walked, hoping that a few extra bruised twigs and weeds would make a clear path to whoever might follow them. _If_ someone followed them. Rouge and Nicole's sudden exchange had jolted her attention away from creating a trail. "Ah...I don't know...it's been a long time since I was here; the trees are different... Where did that voice come from?"

"Eh? Oh right...that was Nicole...a handheld computer." Rouge shrugged. She wasn't sure she should trust Nicole's guidance, but she knew she was tired of walking. "Look...I know where I'm going."

"_Do you?"_ Nicole questioned in a level tone.

Feeling a bit annoyed and rattled, Rouge slowed to a stop. "Tired, Queeny? I'm ready for a break now," she shrugged. "I flew us far enough that even Espio would have a hard time tracking us." She said with an inward smile. She felt confident in her abilities to escape, but just to be sure she climbed up a nearby tree to get a better view.

Not so far away, Charles and Espio had picked up the trail Aleena had left for them, and Nicole guided them in via GPS navigation. Espio could have traveled faster without the light blue hedgehog, and now that he could trace Aleena's familiar steps, he didn't need the GPS. He did understand, however, that Nicole wanted him to be there. It was only honorable to let him have a part in bringing back his love interest. Espio mused about how that had come about, but something told him he would be a good match for the queen.

"I'm sorry if I'm slowing you down..." Chuck said quietly. He was certainly more perceptive than his nephew, and wiser than his years. Indeed, it was only the graying fur that made him seem at times like an old man. "...I think I may be eating my own cooking too much."

Espio chuckled at that. "No, it's fine. We'll be catching up to them soon; Nicole said they've stopped…."

He quirked a brow; Nicole had been endlessly surprising lately. "She's a remarkable machine..." It was all he could think of to say.

"_Thank you, Sir Charles. Approach carefully. I've sufficiently confused Rouge as to which direction she's going, but she's on alert,"_the sentient computer's voice came through the phone, more lively than the even, unreadable sounds she gave the bat spy. "_Aleena is catching on to my game. I'm sure Rouge won't expect her to lie on my behalf."_ There was a victorious smirk in her tone.

"Nicole? Are you telling me you can lie?" Chuck shot back in a bemused tone.

"_I am capable of doing what is needed. Now...Rouge is starting to relax her guard; you may proceed without being spotted. She just came down from the tree."_ The two nodded and listened as Nicole outlined a capture plan...

_"Oh Rouge?"_ Nicole asked in a light tone now.

"Why don't you shut up, you pesky PC?" Rouge said with a slight snarl in her tone.

"_Oh...I just thought you might like to know...we have company."_

"**What?!"** Rouge shot bolt upright and saw Charles not more than a few feet from her. He looked about as scared at the announcement as she did. It took a second for Rouge's heart to get under control before she grinned and started laughing. "Well well, if isn't Chuck the Chilidog King! Come to rescue your lover?" She took hold of Aleena's shoulder and pulled her closer in like the hostage she was.

Charles took on a more stoic look and stood his ground. "As a matter of fact, I have. She's been through quite enough, thank you...I won't let her get hurt again."

Rouge heaved a sigh, "You heroes are all alike... No wonder I never officially sided with Team Sonic... Just what makes you think I'm going to hand her over to you?"

"Well...it's just...a bit difficult..." he said, eyeing a tree branch above and to the left of her. "...to fight him with your hands full."

"Eh?" Rouge turned quickly to where his gaze was, only for Espio to spring from the opposite direction for a sucker punch.

Aleena went flying from the bat's grip into Chuck's waiting arms while the two tussled. "I have you." he said comfortingly, taking Aleena away from the fight.

"How...?!" Rouge turned on Espio as soon as she could recover only to be jolted by Nicole in mid-kick. "OW! You brat! You betrayed me, didn't you!?" She jumped away from Espio, who was trying to take advantage of her shock.

"_Maybe,"_ Nicole said, sending another surge of electricity through the bat's leg.

"**OUCH!"** Rouge couldn't rip the computer away from her fast enough, sending Nicole sailing through the air. Free of the obnoxious traitor, she was now free to do battle with Espio.

"_Charles! Incoming!"_ Nicole called, this time from her home unit rather than the phone, and the hedgehog made a quick movement to catch her. "_Ahh... Thank you, Charles...now for those cuffs."_

"Nicole...what have you become?" Chuck shook his head as he lowered Nicole to Aleena's handcuffs, the computer utilizing a small laser to sever them.

"_A hero, I hope?_" Her voice came cheerily now.

"That you are." He smiled and turned to Aleena now, who seemed happy to see him.

"Aww hey! Watch it! You think I was going to leave her in enemy hands?!" Rouge cried as she ducked away from a set of ninja stars that Espio had just thrown her way. "Hey...watch it! Those could hurt someone!"_Oh shit, he's really serious now...!_

"Yeah...and the thought that you could turn someone over for fun and profit hurts worse," Espio retorted, removing a large star from his back and he seeing Rouge visibly cringe.

"I swear, I was going to get her back...heh! ...Just after a little monetary gain...nothing much...really!" The bat had to use all her reflexes to duck down and kick the star away with her metal-soled shoes before Espio pounced and pinned her. "I give!"

"You better." Espio said, fitting her with a glare that would have done Shadow proud. "What do we do with her, guys?" he smirked satisfactorily, pulling Rouge to her feet.

A soft moment between the pair dissolved as they turned their attention to the bat, but it was Nicole that spoke first. "_Rouge...your original employers...they would reward you whether Aleena was found to be alive or dead, right?"_

"...Yeah. It was just recon..." she said, trying to pull away from Espio to no avail.

"_Well then...you can report she did not survive. Queen Aleena is gone."_

"Eh? Well...they would like some proof of it…." The bat twitched an ear, but Espio tensing his grip caused her to take the proposal more seriously.

"I can provide that," Charles added, "I have some of the pieces of the capsule she was in still...but I think Aleena should decide what to do..." he said, looking at the brightly colored hedgehog. "If you press charges against Rouge, your past will likely come into the public's attention, but...if you agree to Nicole's proposal...it'll be like you never existed... and never will. You don't think...your people want to know you're alive?" he queried. He was worried about her wanting her old life back, and this was the crossroads for it.

Rouge was obviously stressed at the thought of being on trial. Aleena considered her options carefully before she replied. "I agreed to disappear once, and now I have even more reason to disappear," she said with a fond smile at Charles. She looked over at the bat, knowing she was over a barrel. "Well? I mean...if you really want to stick to your guns, I'm sure the Knothole authorities would be interested in prosecuting you."

Rouge nodded lightly, "I'll let it go... My employers will think you're gone...and you'll never hear from me again. Happy ending, eh? See? No worries!" She forced a smile, but Espio was still not amused. _Angel Island is so going to be my next stop..._

"Thanks..." Aleena said with a soft sigh before turning to Charles. "Thank you..." she said more sincerely to him, and leaned in to give him a kiss.

Rouge was going to say something, but a glare from Espio was sufficient to mute her. After a few moments the pair broke apart and Uncle Chuck's arms fell around her loosely, "...ahh.. I think they're expecting us back home." He kissed her nose lightly before turning back toward Knothole. "Let's go."


	13. This is Family?

"Aleena?" Espio spoke up as they began the trek back to Knothole.

"Espio…. It really is you, isn't it?" Aleena fell back to smile on her guardian.

"It is." He had a serious tone, though relieved. "Look...I'm not your guardian any more, but I'm glad to know you're still alive."

"I'm glad to see you too," she returned pleasantly.

"I also know a lot has changed since we fell asleep...I just thought you should know some things." Espio glanced at Chuck and Tails, who walked ahead of them, making sure they were out of immediate earshot.

"What things?"

"Like...humans. They're not all bad. I've been in Station Square before...if you can get over the past...it's a nice place to visit," he replied to Aleena's small nod. She wasn't quite ready to trust them yet. "Also...whatever you think about Rhombus…he did betray us, but he had his reasons...and he spent the rest of his life paying for his mistakes."

"I was hoping that was my imagination," Aleena said with a sigh.

Espio's tone softened, "I just thought you should know that he died a hero... He saved my life. We're not the only ones from the past."

Aleena smiled at him, "Thank you, Espio."

"I'm glad I got another chance to protect you," he returned the smile. "I'll be leaving you now, but if you need me, you know where I'll be."

"Take care, brave one," Aleena said softly.

"Farewell, my Queen." Espio gave a final bow to her and took off into the woods.

Upon entering Knothole's outskirts, Tails had parted company with rivals Shadow and Sonic. The pair had made its way to Chucks' in relative silence. Sonic had a smile planted on his face as Shadow had a scowl. They were polar opposites in personality, if equals in determination. In this case, Sonic was determined to be light hearted and Shadow was determined to be upset.

"Well, this is the ol' homestead. Want me to show you around?" Sonic said finally upon reaching Chuck's house.

"No." Shadow was the master of one word answers, and most of them were negative.

Sonic scratched his ear again and led Shadow inside. "Well uh...have a seat. I'd wait with you, but I gotta tell Sally about Nicole."

"Fine."

Sonic took another glance at Shadow before he headed out. He wanted to say something, but what do you say to a guy like that? The darker hedgehog had been wrong about Sonic in one aspect...not everything came easily to him. It wasn't easy to talk to Shadow, and he still wasn't sure what he was going to say to Sally about Nicole and her recent behavior. Ahh well...unlike Shadow, he wouldn't brood about it endlessly.

Alone again, Shadow could return to his normal thought patterns. He played out the scene from earlier that day over and over again. He had scared Aleena, and he was just starting to see how he had come on too strong. He paced back and forth across the floor while he thought about things. The circumstances were different now…. She knew he existed and that he would be waiting this time. But what to say?

_Hi, Mom! I'm your alien hellspawn bastard child from the Ark! You don't know me, but I almost destroyed the Earth in trying to find out my parentage!_ Oh yeah, that would go over well…. _Hi...uh...I was raised by a scientist on a space colony where you apparently were helpful in spawning me._ Shadow about bit his tongue thinking he could say anything that stupid. He honestly couldn't think of anything to say. He had nothing to offer her; he was no child, and she didn't know him... There was no reason for her to even accept him as her son. With a grimace, he realized that he wanted her approval far more than she needed him.

After what seemed an eternity of waiting, the door opened, and Shadow found himself tense and on guard again. Charles and Aleena's laughter was fading from some joke or story one of them had told, and they were arm in arm as they walked through the door. Upon seeing him, the two went quiet and the atmosphere became heavy. "I...think I'll leave you two; I'll be in the study;" Chuck said, giving Aleena a quick kiss on the cheek before moving on.

Aleena smiled a little and then folded her hands together and looked at Shadow, searching him with her cherry-colored eyes. He looked back at her in silence, frozen from the moment she entered the room. Now that she wasn't being threatened by him, she managed to relax. "Shadow...is it?" she said in a polite tone.

He nodded reply and took a step toward her. Fearing it was too quick, he stopped in his tracks. Looking down, he spoke in a somewhat cold but polite tone, "I'm sorry...I didn't...mean to frighten you earlier."

"It's okay," Aleena replied, taking a few cautious steps toward him. He was certainly awkward and unsure, but she had enough information now she had a good idea what she wanted to say to him. "Nicole and Charles told me about you."

"Oh…."

"I've heard you've had it rough...being alone." She moved to the couch and sat down, indicating Shadow should do likewise next to her.

"..Yeah." He felt stupid. Ultimate life form did not mean ultimate conversationalist... "Look...you..."

"Yes?" Alena asked in a patient tone.

"I don't know what it's like to have a real family." He put his hands in his lap and looked down at his shoes. "I've...I did have a sort of family on the Ark... Dr. Gerald was nice to me, and Maria was an angel...but...I know he wasn't a father to me any more than Maria a mother. She was...she was my friend...and...I l-...I loved her very much." He paused, struggling for words to come. This was turning out a lot differently than he had imagined. "I just know it's not...like a regular family."

Aleena nodded. "Well...to be honest, I never pictured myself as a mother." He saw her ear twitch lightly.

"You don't have to be..." Shadow shot in, " I mean..you don't have to be my mom. I've done without this long."

"Well, you're a little old to cradle in my arms or tuck in bed, but that doesn't mean you're not my son." the magenta and plum hedgehog said as she put an arm around Shadow.

_Son._ She had called him her son. A warm sensation moved through his body, and his eyes darted to hers to make sure he wasn't hearing things. "...You mean that?"

Her arms wrapped fully around Shadow's neck and she drew him into a hug, her fingers running through his black and red quills soothingly. A feeling of rest came on him at the affection. It was unexpected but certainly welcomed. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I would've liked to have seen you grow up…. I don't know how much time either of us have lost...but if you want…I'll be here whenever you need."

Shadow's arms wrapped around her frame after a hesitant moment. His ears soaked in the words while his mind tried hopelessly to register the meaning. "M-...m... May I call...you Mom?"

"Yes," she said softly.

Wetness gathered in the corners of Shadow's eyes, and he tried to get rid of it before breaking the hug. "...Thank you." Could he really be crying?

"Shadow...my baby." Aleena smiled and helped him wipe away a tear. "Stick around a while if you want to get to know me..." Shadow pushed her hand away, not ready to have someone wipe his tears for him. "I heard you don't stay in one place very long...but you don't have to run."

"I know...I'm better than that." Shadow nodded.

Aleena gave Shadow another hug before going to check on Charles. She found him waiting somewhat nervously in a chair, trying to read a book. His attention flew to her so fast, she knew he'd been waiting for this. She made her way over to him and slipped her arms around his neck, though in a much more tender fashion than she had given Shadow.

"So..." Chuck started, drawing her into his lap and losing the book.

"He's not a bad person, but I can see a lot of pain and fears in his eyes." she said and stroked Charles' quills tenderly. "I think he just wants some stability in his life...that's something I think we can all relate to."

Uncle Chuck nodded and held her close. "So...where does this leave us?"

"Hnnn? What do you mean?" her nose nuzzled against his.

"Well...he's your son…. You two are going to spend some time getting to know each other so…."

"Think I could forget you?" Aleena scratched the underside of his chin. "You know I love you, my brave little hedgehog."

Charles beamed back at her, looking into her brilliant eyes. At last he spoke, "Aleena... there's something I wanted to ask you before our picnic got ruined..."

"Yes...Charles?" Aleena was placed carefully on the seat Chuck had just been in as he reached into a desk drawer for something and knelt down before her.

"Aleena, my love...will you marry me?" He bowed his head and opened a small jewelry box, a pretty ring seated upon it.

Her mouth hung agape in disbelief as tears formed in her eyes. "Oh yes...yes!"

* * *

"Yo, Shadow! What's up, Cuz'?!" Sonic's voice cut through Shadow like a knife as the darker hedgehog was focused on a glass window, staring into another room of the clinic where Charles and Aleena were.

"Rrr...I think I liked it better when you called me Faker..." Shadow replied with a slight growl. "And you know perfectly well why I'm here."

Sonic peered through the window, looking in on the clinic's birthing center. Sonic gave a low whistle, "Man...brave of Unc to be down there right now...Quack tells me my own dad got a fractured wrist when I was born... Ha!"

Shadow gave a smirk at that. His smiles were still a somewhat rare sight, but having a solid residence now and parents nearby had had a soothing effect on him. Aleena had married Chuck not long after Shadow came into their lives, and Aleena had given him her old residence. It smelled strongly of women's perfume, but he had taken little time to make himself at home. Now, several months down the road, he was about to find himself a half brother.

"Oh Shadoooow! Do you know how many people I had to grill to find out where you were?!" Amy's voice carried into the room and Sonic slightly cringed at the pink ball of static cling. Since it was obvious Sonic preferred the company of the tomboy princess, and Shadow was now living in Knothole, she had seen fit to cling to him. Initially all she did was complain about how Sonic had shunned her, and he merely tolerated her presence. After a while, the conversations became less self-absorbed, though the pink pincushion continued to do most of the talking. It was still hard to say if he just tolerated her, but he seemed to have more patience for her than Sonic, who still recoiled automatically from the sound of her voice.

"Can't you two be quiet? We're in a damn clinic, for cryin' out loud," Shadow said in a rough tone while Amy attached herself to his arm.

"Sorry..." the pink hedgehog clung to him and smiled. She gave sonic a rude look, but it was still hard to say if her affections toward Shadow were an effort to make Sonic jealous or not. If they were, it wasn't working. "How long...?"

"She's been in there since this morning," Shadow said calmly. His ears stayed alert, despite how cool he appeared otherwise. Even through the thick walls and glass, he could hear his mother's cries. Childbirth was difficult, and part of him was glad she didn't have to suffer like that to bring him into the world.

"She'll be cool," Sonic said. "Quack's a good doctor, y' know."

Shadow nodded. Patience was his strong suit, but in this circumstance he was growing impatient. He was also not convinced everything would go well. He had too many things go wrong for him in his life to expect smooth sailing. Actually, he even feared he might lose his mother through this.

It was hard to see Aleena even from their observation window. She was flanked by Charles on one side and a nurse on the other. Quack obscured the front view. The brief views he got was of his mother's flailing arms smacking Chuck aside, or grabbing and almost knocking something down. The scene both disturbed and fascinated him greatly. He had never witnessed a birth before and was curious about it...though now he was privy to it, he almost wanted to flee.

He looked over at the pink parasite on his arm and briefly imagined her in the same position. A shiver ran through his quills. "Shadow? Are you all right?" Amy looked up at him with her emerald eyes wide.

"Ahh... Yeah. Just thinking... That sounds so painful." He broke his arm away from her and then wrapped it around her, drawing her close. He determined he definitely didn't want her to be in pain like that, and felt somehow more protective of her for it.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the birth center changed, and soon after tiny but persistent cries pierced Shadow's ears. "Hey, Shadow! Congrats! You're a brother!" Sonic slapped him on one shoulder, knocking him even more into Amy. There was a brief blush between them, but soon a second cry reached their ears. "Wow...dude, Uncle Chuck's the man! Looks like it's twins!"

Down in the delivery room a very tired but satisfied hedgehog held one of her children in her arms while Chuck held the other. It was a boy and a girl, and the parents were quite proud. "What do we call them?" Chuck said softly, trying to lull his baby girl to sleep. She was just as hot magenta as her mother.

Aleena sat up a bit and rocked her baby boy in her arms. He was blue like chuck, but with a slight greenish hue to him. Although he was just newly born, his short stubby quills seemed to go everywhere on his forehead. She chuckled at the sight. "How about Sonya for the girl...and Manic for the boy?"

"I like it." Chuck nodded and kissed his wife, who had never looked more beautiful to him.

* * *

They were soon joined by the rest of the family in the recovery room. "Hey...check out your siblings, Shadow." He smiled proudly.

"May I...?" Shadow asked his mom as he approached her hospital bed.

"Of course," Aleena replied and handed Manic over to him, the little one starting to cry.

"Ha! Kid knows his bro's a sourpuss already," Sonic snickered, receiving a sharp jab in the chest from Amy.

"Maybe you should be more sensitive, _Sonic."_ she wrinkled her nose at him and then turned to Shadow, approving. "Aww...he looks so _cute!_"

Shadow ignored Sonic's comment, and Amy's for that matter, and rocked his fussing brother until he was quiet. "So...this is family."


End file.
